


Keeping Promises

by appojooze



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Cute Kids, F/F, MerMay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-11
Updated: 2019-10-02
Packaged: 2020-03-01 02:04:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 33,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18790801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/appojooze/pseuds/appojooze
Summary: A young Ashe visits France and absolutely hates it. She's sick of the sights and foods, and on their last day, B.O.B. decides to take her to the beach in hopes she'll have some fun.





	1. Cote d'Azur

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoy, sorry if it's bad! It's been a while =w=;

What was once complete darkness was overcome with a soft orange glow. Little eyes fluttered open at the sudden lighting that entered her room. Brows furrowed; her piercing-red eyes darted to the source. There stood her big omnic butler with the window blinds’ chain in his metal hand. His glowing green eyes looked at her, signaling that it was time for her to wake up.

“Are we leaving now?” Her tired voice cracked as she let out a yawn.

He shook his head, making the little girl give out a groan. She let out her arms, which prompted the butler to pick her up off her bed and set her down on the floor. The moment her feet touched the marbled floor, a quick shiver jolted up her spine. Without hesitation the omnic quickly put on her fuzzy pink slippers for her.

She shuffled herself out of her room and listened for any sound of her parents. Nothing. It was as if nobody had ever even stepped into the luxurious hotel suite. Sighing, she moved her way to the small kitchen table where a single placemat awaited her. For the past six days, the little girl had been eating breakfast all on her own with her butler watching over her. Her parents would wake up early and hit up a café to have breakfast alone then come back when they needed their omnic to help them go shopping.

“I want flapjacks,” she murmured. “And orange juice.”

He gave her a look of sympathy, though there was some hope in his eyes as he brought her a plate of hot crepes he had made. They were folded over and were drizzled in caramel and powdered sugar. The dollop of whipped cream over her breakfast sparked some sort of interest in her mind.

It didn’t stop her from prodding her fork at the item before her. “What are these? Some fancy pancakes?” She looked up at her guardian questioningly.

He turned around to pick up the French cooking magazine that her parents had bought for him on their first night here. It was already opened on the page he used to follow the recipe. Showing her, she looked at the bold letters reading _How to Make the Perfect French-Style Crepes_. However, the white-haired girl was having trouble reading that last word.

“Creep? Crap? First snails and now I have ta eat poo?” She angrily pushed her plate away and crossed her arms, looking away from the breakfast. “I’m not eating it, _B.O.B._ ”

B.O.B. knelt beside her and used the utensils he had set out on the table to cut off a piece of the crepe. Curious, she peeked an eye open and watched the fluffy whipped cream slowly pour out. He carefully held the fork towards her direction, making her give him an unkind stare. Without saying anything, she opened her mouth, allowing him to feed her the crepe. She chewed on it for a good minute, her arms relaxing and uncrossing. Swallowing the food, she looked to him again with a more welcoming gaze.

“More.” Opening her mouth again, he continued to feed her the crepes, a wave of relief hitting him. Although she had been eating her breakfasts the past few days, despite her protests, having her be at least a little less cranky made it easier for him to make sure she had a decent day.

With a mouth full of pastry, she attempted to make dialogue. “So, I was thinkin’,” B.O.B. looked at her and wiped off some of caramel she managed to get on the corner of her lip. “You n’ me can leave in an hour while Ma and Pa come back whenever _they_ feel like.”

The omnic’s body jittered and his round eyes closed. She gave him a serious look and whined. “I’m serious! I’m done with this place, it’s boring and the grape juice is too spicy.” She pouted as she remembered the wine she stole a sip from when her parents weren’t looking. “I’d rather be at Jesse’s stupid farm.”

B.O.B. put the fork down at the plate and adjusted his golden watch, pulling up a holographic calendar. Their week vacation was highlighted in bright blue squares as she looked at tomorrow’s date, the final day of their time in France.

“I know when we’re leavin’, dummy.” Her arms crossed once more, scoffing. “What are we even doing today? That stupid ballet isn’t until nighttime.”

His eyelids slanted upward as he looked out the dining room’s window. The entire suite had a perfect view of the _Côte d'Azur_ which didn’t impress the girl much, but it was necessary to her parents’ tastes. Looking back at the impatient child, he pressed a different button on his watch that removed the digital calendar and played an audio recording of her father.

_The misses and I are going to visit some designer shops we didn’t get to visit, but we need you to keep Elizabeth entertained. Take her on down to the beach, she can play in the sand or somethin’ while her mother and I get some time alone. Just make sure she comes back in time so we can all go to the ballet later. Got that, B.O.B.?_

As soon as the recording ended, Ashe turned her head to look out at the beach. “Ya gotta be kiddin’ me!” She yelled out and growled. “I’m not some baby, right B.O.B.?” He shook his head in agreement, understanding her frustration. Its not like her folks were giving her much attention in the first place so she had every right to throw her tantrums and vent. She got up from her chair and pressed her fingers and face on the window behind her.

B.O.B. picked up the dish and utensils from the table, scraping off any leftovers into the trash. As he turned to do the dishes, he could hear the pitter patter of her slipper-covered feet rush into her bedroom again. He scrubbed faster in hopes that he could finish up quickly so that he could check up on her. She had a poor habit of getting herself into all sorts of trouble when her guardian wasn’t around. As soon as he finished, he trailed his heavy body to her room, only to be greeted by her at the door.

“I’m all dressed up, let’s go.”

She presented herself before him with a smug grin on her face. It couldn’t be more obvious that she was more than excited to try on her _Ahn Dang_ designer bathing suit her mother had purchased before they arrived in France. It was a two-piece; the top was solid black with a bow in front and it covered half of her small torso. The bottom half was black-and-white striped high-waisted. On her head was a cream-colored sun hat, along with black cat-eyed sunglasses.

At that moment, the butler had wished they had bought some kind of camera to take photos for the trip. Although her hair was a mess and she hadn’t brushed her teeth yet, she looked too adorable and wanted to show her parents what they were missing.

He pointed to the bathroom, her red eyes rolling under the black tinted frames. “Fine, I’ll brush mah teeth.”

Ashe scurried to her personal bathroom that housed all her toiletries. She applied the toothpaste to her kid-sized toothbrush and quickly brushed her teeth. Small giggles would escape every time she brushed over her missing tooth, the bristles tickling at her gums. Giving a hardy spit to the sink, she flashed a smile to the mirror to check for any food residue.

A few minutes of being in the restroom, she walked out in a hurry. “ _Now_ I’m done, B.O.B.!”

Glancing around the hallway, she didn’t see her butler anywhere. Taking advantage, she snitched her way into her parents’ room, immediately eyeing the dresser. On top was her mother’s beauty products, as well as some jewelry she’d brought with her. Snickering, the girl grabbed hold of her mother’s brand-new perfume and sprayed it on her a few times for her skin to absorb the scent. Satisfied with the amount she put on; she eyed her next target, the deep red lipstick.

Before she could event attempt to reach it, the loud thumping of the omnic’s footsteps came closer to the bedroom. Ashe quickly turned around, acting as though she was doing nothing wrong. As soon as her eyes set on B.O.B., she let out a snort. He was wearing a black and white striped bathing suit, though one you’d see men wear in the early 1900s.

“You look like a great great grandpa,” she laughed. Her insult didn’t seem to bother him, but he didn’t see what was so bad about it. Afterall, he thought it’d be nice to match with her. “Let’s go, _grandbob_.”

 

The resort was only a few minutes’ walk from the beach. The waves clashing and the sound of locals and tourists chattering could be heard from the short distance. A slight breeze in the air felt cool against the skin as the hot sun looked down on everyone. Ashe had a hold of B.O.B.’s hand while he also carried a bag in the other and an umbrella under his arm. They drew closer to the beach, getting a clearer view of the ocean and the visitors. The little girl’s eyes widened as she let out a squeal.

“B.O.B.! These folk are butt naked!” she shrieked, getting some attention drawn to her.

She wasn’t wrong, as most of the people there were either half or fully nude, even the kids close to her age range. B.O.B. was a little scared for her sake, but he could hear her laughing to herself. “Jesse’s gon’ be so jealous when I tell him how many boobies I’ve seen.”

If the robot were human, he would be red in the face about now. Despite the stares he was receiving from the beachgoers, he couldn’t imagine the look on the Ashe’s faces when they hear their nine-year-old daughter talk about seeing bare breasts at the beach. He quickly walked her to an open spot and set down the bag and propped the umbrella into the sand. Meanwhile, Ashe kicked off her sandals and was ready to bolt into the water. He had to halt her, making her suck in her teeth.

“I wanna go play already!” He pulled out a bottle of sunscreen from the bag and knelt close to her level. “I hate sunscreen,” she murmured.

B.O.B. applied the protective cream across her face, arms, legs, and even the sliver of skin between her bathing suit parts. He looked her square in the face to make sure he didn’t miss a spot.

“Are ya done?” The moment he nodded she bolted away to the shoreline. He sat down beneath the shade and kept an eye on her.

Ashe was careful before stepping into the water. She couldn’t stand getting into cold water, so she dipped a toe in to check the temperature. The water was warm from the sun, making her hum in acceptance. Although she was able to swim due to her parents paying for her swimming lessons when she was six, she wasn’t too fond of it. She’d prefer sitting on the shoreline and playing with the wet sand.

Her red eyes darted around to the other people, still amused that they weren’t clothed up. The only people that seemed to be wearing swimwear were other tourists, so she didn’t feel too out of place. She quickly looked back to her butler, who was surrounded by a few locals that must’ve been questioning him. Understandably, there weren’t any other omnics at the beach and it was uncommon to see one of B.O.B.’s stature.

“Showoff,” she said to herself, a bit of jealousy thrown in.

Already getting bored, Ashe decided to use the wet sand to start making a miniature sandcastle. She didn’t have any plastic buckets or shovels, so she had to resort to her hands, which didn’t annoy her too much since she didn’t plan to stay there long. It got her riled up seeing her butler get so much attention from everyone, and she didn’t plan to spend a beach day in the sidelines.

Turning back again, she was now seeing him show everyone the different equipment that came with his model. “Oh, B.O.B., now you’re a circus monkey.”

She pouted as her body began to heat up, though not from the sun. A rush of warmth rose to her cheeks as her eyes watered up. Luckily nobody could see her, although that was the problem in the first place. Her arm wiped beneath her nose to prevent anything from coming down. To her demise, a strong gust of wind passed by, snatching her hat off her head and flying away.

“Agh, _shit!_ ”

Without a second thought she ran after her now flying saucer of a hat and chased it down along the beach. She had bumped into several people, all in the way between her and her brand-name sunhat. Every time she’d get close enough, more wind would fly by and make it more of a challenge for her. It flew past a bunch of different sized rocks and boulders, a part of the beach that nobody stayed around in for some reason.

She turned around, still able to see people though they were at a far distance. “Stupid hat,” she muttered.

Scaling one of the smaller boulders, she climbed over and looked around. There were a bunch of sharp rocks along the small amount of shore that was available to walk on and a big stone wall to her left that served as a foundation for the buildings above. Without her sandals on, she had to be precise in how she stepped, doing her best to avoid stepping on any rocks.

“Where is that thing?” She scanned her surroundings carefully until finally seeing her hat, off into the ocean. It was close enough for her to swim to get grab it, but there were too many rocks in the way. Groaning, she stepped lightly on one of the boulders that rested in the water, quickly kneeling to maintain her balance on the slippery surface. She eyed another one, though only a part of it rose out of the sea. If she was able to jump to it, she’d be able to reach for her hat and go back to her butler.

Ashe took a deep breath and swung her arms back and forth while slowly standing up. She closed her eyes and leaped across, barely landing on the second boulder. Her body failed and slipped as she quickly grasped onto the protruding surface, her sunglasses falling off and disappearing into the water. Pulling her light body up, she sat on the rock and caught her breath from the scare.

Looking down at her hat, it had managed to drift off even further into the sea. “Darn it! I hate this place, I hate this place,”

Before repeating herself again, the beige colored hat was pulled into the water before her eyes. “What the?” The girl knew that it wasn’t a heavy item and shouldn’t have just sank into the ocean like that. A mere second later, the slap of a shiny purple fish tail could be seen and heard right where her hat was. Getting nervous, Ashe hugged at her knees.

“B.O.B.! _B.O.B.!_ I want to go home!” She buried her face away, thinking now that a shark had eaten her hat and now was coming for her. “Do somethin’, B.O.B.!” It was no use, as she had run off too far from where she was sitting prior to her hat flying away. “That dummy probably forgot about me,” she sniffled.

Suddenly, the sound of a quick plop was heard. She looked up, expecting to see a shark before her. To her surprise, it was her _Ahn Dang_ designer hat. Confused, she looked around for a nearby swimmer or even a scuba diver. Nobody else was there as far as she could see. With a shrug of her shoulders, she got on her knees and leaned her upper body over to reach for the hat. She sighed heavily, as it was almost to her reach but her small hands couldn’t grasp it.

“Oh, come on!” She yelled when suddenly the hat levitated underneath a small head.

Her eyes stared longer, trying to get a peek beneath the hat. She could make out what could only be the top half of a child’s head. The head, along with the hat, inched a bit closer to Ashe’s reach. She slowly removed the hat from the head, eyes widening at the child. They had scaly blue skin and big yellow eyes that she found to be mesmerizing in an odd way. They had dark blue hair with an apparent widow’s peak.

Ashe set the soggy hat down and continued looking at the off-colored person. “Why’s your skin blue?” was the first question that popped out of her mouth.

The rest of the child’s head emerged from the ocean, revealing the rest of her face. Her lips were a little plump and a pretty shade of purple. Her hair only reached above her shoulders, her webbed fingers tucking the sides behind her ears, revealing what looked like gills on her neck. Ashe had to rub at her eyes to make sure she was seeing things clearly.

“ _Cheveux blancs, yeux rouges._ ” The girl responded after analyzing the human girl herself.

Cocking a brow, she tilted her head in confusion. “I don’t speak French, but thanks for gettin’ my hat.”

The blue-skinned girl stifled a laugh, making Ashe feel something strange in her chest. “I said your hair is white, and your eyes red.”

“Oh,” she was surprised to know that the sea creature knew English and could speak it so well. “Well, _touché_.”

The ocean dweller gave her a harsh stare before letting out another soft laugh. “You’re silly. I’ve never spoken to anyone on the surface before.”

“On the surface?”

Before she can mutter another word, the girl rose herself upward and reached towards Ashe’s legs. She wasn’t wearing any sort of shirt or bathing suit bra, much like every other local in this beach. It didn’t affect her, however, since she seemed to be her age. “You cut your leg when you slipped.”

“I did?” She looked down at her right leg where a cut was made as she was jumping rocks, a small stream of blood running down.

The girl’s webbed fingers brushed over it, making the other one blush in response. “ _Oui_. I laughed when it happened.”

As much as she wanted to be upset or offended, Ashe managed to laugh at the girl’s honesty. “I like ya. Do ya have a name?”

“Amélie,” she answered a bit shyly as she tucked her hair behind her ears again.

She smirked while kicking her feet slowly in the water. “Emily? That’s a pretty name,” she teased.

“ _Amélie_ ,” she corrected with a harsh tone, her cheeks turning into a purple hue. “Not ‘Emily’.”

Ashe snorted, finding it amusing how annoyed she got and the change of color in her face. “I’m kiddin’ ya, _Amélie_ ,” she winked playfully. “My name’s Elizabeth, but you can call me Ashe.”

“Why Ashe?” She questioned. “That sounds nothing like Élisabeth.”

Ashe hated hearing her parents or any authority figure refer to her by her first name. It was always said in a demeaning way and only when she was in any sort of trouble. However, when Amélie said it, it unusually made her feel good about herself. The more she heard her speak and the more of her she saw, she was finding her more fascinating. “Ashe is my last name. Sounds cooler than Elizabeth, and its faster t’say.”

“If you say so,” she droned. “Élisabeth is a pretty name.”

There she goes again. The warmth she was already feeling in her cheeks reached the tips of her ears. She wasn’t sure if it was Amélie’s accent or just the faintness of her voice that made saying her name make her feel this way. It didn’t matter since she enjoyed it so much.

“I can make an exception for ya. It’s not like I’m gonna see ya after this.” To her surprise, Ashe sounded upset when she mentioned her leaving. She had only been complaining since they got there how much she wanted to leave.

Amélie gave a half-hearted smirk. “No wonder you talk so funny. Where are you from?”

“Texas,” she answered. “It’s a big state in America. Have you ever been there?”

The other girl shook her head. “No. Is it far?”

“Heck yeah,” she laughed. “It took _hours_ to get here, even on our private jet. I reckon ya don’t know what that is, seeing as you’re a fish.”

“Rude,” Amélie huffed. “I’m not a fish. That’s dinner.”

She chuckled at the girl. “My bad. I’ve never met a, uh, mermaid before.”

“I can tell,” she smiled softly. “You’re…interesting for my first surface creature. Human, right?”

Ashe nodded. “Human. So, you’ve never left the ocean? _Can_ you even leave?”

“No,” she simply said. “I’ve never left, I’m too young. We can only leave to find someone to have a baby with.”

She gawked at the girl with wide eyes. “C-Come again?”

“We leave when we’re at least eighteen,” she explained. “We have to find a mate then come back with a baby.”

Ashe could feel her stomach sinking at the bizarre rule. “What if you don’t come back? Do ya get in trouble.”

“Not really, no.” Her eyes saddened, making Ashe even more confused. “If someone decides to stay on the surface…they have to give up their baby to our people. There aren’t many of us, and we need to make more.”

She looked at the mergirl with equally sad eyes and her voice became easier. “Is that what happened t’ya?”

Without making a sound, she nodded her head. “I want to be eighteen already. See all of France and not just the _Côte d'Azur_.” The thought of leaving made her smile again. “Is it beautiful, Élisabeth?”

“Uh,” Ashe was starting to feel guilty, an emotion she never felt before. The whole trip here was her complaining about every sight, store, and restaurant they went to visit. Now knowing that this poor girl who lives here can’t even experience it didn’t feel right. That’s when an idea sparked in her mind. “When do you turn eighteen?”

Amélie looked at her curiously at the sudden question. “I’m eight, so in ten years.”

“I’ll tell ya what, Amélie. When ya turn eighteen, I’ll come right back here and show ya all the things I’ve done in France.” Ashe smiled widely, enough for her teeth to show.

She looked at her with brilliant eyes. “Really? Why would you do that?”

“Cause it ain’t fair, that’s why,” she puffed. “I’ll eat snails again if I have’ta, if it means you’ll get to enjoy what this place has to offer.”

Rising further out of the water, her tail was now exposed. Ashe looked at how the sun shined against its purple scales, making her eyes glisten. Amélie reeled her in for a hug, melting into the girl’s warm-blooded skin. “Thank you.” Flushed, the girl slowly hugged back. The mergirl’s skin was cold, like the way it felt when B.O.B. would carry her or hold her hand. This time, though, it was different. It wasn’t course metal, but scaled skin.

Amélie pulled back and grinned, most of her face a deep purple now. Her thumb wiped over the mole over Ashe’s upper lip. “Hm, I guess it _doesn’t_ come off.”

“Of course it don’t,” Ashe giggled, making Amélie react the same way. The moment was sweet, yet her heart felt like it wanted to burst out of its chest. Whatever it was, she didn’t want it to end. Amélie was secured on her lap, her tail swaying in joy as she kept her grip on Ashe. “Anyways, I’ll come back for ya. I'll,”

In a close distance, the heavy dropping of footsteps was heard. The girls gasped, Amélie shaking from the loud sound. The closer the sound got, the more Ashe recognized it. “Don’t worry, that’s just-" In her instincts, the merchild leapt off the girl and swam into the ocean. Her hair and skin camouflaged with the water. Ashe stood up, her little legs wobbling to keep balance.

“Amélie? Amélie!” She looked around for any sign of her, until big metal hands clenched onto her.

B.O.B. had held her in a tight embrace as she squirmed around and kept turning her head back. Beads of oil dripped down his head and the mechanics built into his system were running louder than usual.

“You big stupid dummy! Ya scared her away!” Her legs kicked swiftly, and she used her fists to hit the omnic’s shoulders.

He didn’t seem to be listening to her as he carefully bent his knees and used a free hand to pick up her drenched hat. He plopped the hat right on her head and patted her back to soothe her. His treatment wasn’t working, however, as she continued calling him names and throwing a tantrum.

They went back to get their belongings, most of the beachgoers now staring at them as Ashe continued to cry. He set her down carefully and stuck a finger out towards her, letting her know to stay put. She wasn’t talking or screaming out words anymore, and instead, was crying her eyes out. The whites of her eyes were now a bright pink, as well as her cheeks. Fluid ran down her nose as she kept sniffling and hiccupping, letting out wales of cries in between. It didn’t take long for B.O.B. to pack up their stuff. He reached for a hanky in the bag and had wiped her tears with it, then having her blow her nose. Looking down, he’d realized she had a cut on her leg, prompting him to reach in for a first aid kit. He took out a wipe and wiped off the blood that had already dried up. Once he was done, she sprayed some antibacterial medicine on the cut, making the girl wince. Topping it off with a band aid, he took out a red lollipop and removed the plastic for her, offering her the treat. She quickly snatched it away and housed the candy in her mouth. He put everything away and picked up all their things, then offered her his hand.  

Ashe stopped her crying for a moment to glare at the shiny metal hand being reached towards her, then darted them towards the one offering it. As much as she didn’t want to reject him, her anger wasn’t towards him. Although Amélie had swam off due to his quaking footsteps, she knew that she would’ve had to have leave anyways. Heaving a heavy sigh, she accepted his gesture, treading along the beach slowly, not wanting to leave.

 

It took them double the time to get back to their suite due to her slow pacing, and she had managed to finish the lollipop on their way there. Once they got to their room, B.O.B. drew her a nice warm bubble bath. For the first few minutes she only sat in the tub, just sighing and watching the water drip off her arms as she submerged them back and forth. He eventually had to take over and bathe her, even washing her hair to get the beach smell out. He dried her off with the towel and drained the bathtub.

As soon as she was fully dried, he handed her a bathrobe. The suite didn’t carry any child-sized ones, so it remained big on her. It was comforting for Ashe, the softness of the expensive fabric and the fact that it felt like she was wrapped in a blanket. He carried her to her bed, setting her down. The ballet was still a few hours later, but he figured it’d be best to start doing her hair. He sat behind her, only putting half his weight on the bed, combing it to remove any knots. When he finished, he began to heat up one of his fingers, causing it to glow a soft orangey-red. It was difficult for him to hold a curling iron, so he would usually use his finger as one to save the trouble. He wrapped pieces of her hair around it and formed ringlets.

“B.O.B., can I tell ya somethin’?” She finally spoke to him, making him happy. He stopped briefly and shook his head in response. “I saw a mermaid at the beach today and she was ‘round my age.”

He slowly continued working on her hair. It wasn’t unlike her to say outlandish things for attention, but it was usually when her parents were present to get their attention. He didn’t see a reason to why she’d lie to him, but it was such a bold claim that it was hard to believe her. She _was_ very upset when he found her, and she _did_ call out for a name unfamiliar to him.

“She seemed sad,” she continued. “But she was so happy when I told her I’d come back for her.” She smiled to herself, thinking about how cute Amélie looked when her spirits were lifted. “I don’t care if ya believe me or not. I just want you to promise me something.”

Ashe turned her head enough so that she can see his face. His shining green eyes visible to her in the dim-lit room. “Promise me that we can come back and see her?”

B.O.B. didn’t move are make any kind of gesture. He was busy analyzing her face, seeing the almost desperate look in her eyes. It was hard for him to process why she wanted to come back when she didn’t even want to come in the first place. Still, he couldn’t say no to her, especially if it was for something that would make her happy. Nodding his head again, she smiled cheekily and faced forward again, letting him continue to work on her hair.


	2. Things Change, Some Don't

It wasn’t every day that Ashe got to visit her friend Jesse at his mother’s farm in New Mexico. Her parents had multiple homes throughout the West coast, including one in his state. They only stayed there if they need to go to a business meeting or convention in the area. One of those trips, Ashe met the farm boy at a park, who was playing cowboy all by himself. Him being a year younger gave her the opportunity to invade his playtime, but he hadn’t mind it. B.O.B. now tried to at least plan one day a month to take her to visit her friend, taking a bullet train that traveled from Texas to New Mexico.

“Did not,” the little farm boy repeated, taking a bit out of a cookie from a plate his mother had left out for them. “You’re lyin’.”

Ashe rolled her eyes and took a cookie for herself. “Yuh-huh, you’re just jealous!”

Before he could retort, his mother came out of the small house again, setting down two glasses of milk by the children. They had stayed quiet, making her raise a brow at the two of them.

“Why are y’all so quiet? You were fussin’ about just before I stepped out,” she asked as she used the bottom of her plaid shirt to wipe off crumbs from her son’s cheek.

Ashe waved her off, taking a sip of the milk from the stainless-steel cup. “Jesse’s just jealous is all.”

“Are not,” he argued back. “You’re just a liar.”

The woman shook her head and let out a chuckle. “Be nice, Jesse. Your friend comes far just to see ya.”

“It’s okay, Miss McCree. We’re only playin’.”

She smiled at them and gave a tip of her leather hat, stepping back inside to finish cleaning up. Ashe had offered B.O.B.’s services when they got there, but she politely refused. It was rare for her to offer her own butler’s services, but she genuinely liked her and wouldn’t mind offering the help. Instead the butler was feeding the chickens and petting the farm animals that would walk by him.

Jesse turned back to ensure his mom had closed the door. “Alright, Ashe. Do you have _any_ proof that you saw boobies in France?”

“No,” she pouted, crossing her arms. “You know what? You’re just mad cause I saw some and you had to stay at home and look at your cow’s udders all day.”

He took a swig of his milk and let out a belch. “I don’t see ya complainin’. Wouldn’t be havin’ fresh milk if it weren’t for dem udders.”

“Pig,” she took another cookie and made a big bite into it. “That wasn’t even the best thing I saw. Guess I won’t tell ya about it since you probably won’t even believe me.”

Curious, he leaned closer into the table. “What, ya saw naked men too?”

“Hah!” She laughed, almost choking on the treat. “You’re such a fruit, Jesse.”

The wannabe cowboy’s tanned cheeks flushed, somehow at a loss for words and no witty retort. “I was just joshin’ ya. What else did ya see?”

 “Hm,” she hummed to herself. “I met a girl at the beach. Amélie.”

Jesse didn’t seem impressed and laughed at her. “First boobies and now a girl? I think _you’re_ the fruit, Ashe.”

“So what? Stop bein’ so immature.” She was confident in her response, but it didn’t stop her own face from turning red. “ _Anyway_ , she’s real cool. I’m tried askin’ Ma and Pa if we can visit again next year, but they say they ain’t sure.”

He was taken aback by how blunt she was after he teased her. “Sorry. So, what was so ‘cool’ about Emily?”

“ _Amélie_ ,” Ashe paused for a moment, unsure in how to answer. She didn’t want to tell him that Amélie was a mermaid. As much as she wanted to, he would’ve thought she was lying or insane. It was much easier telling B.O.B. since he couldn’t vocally respond to her claims. She decided to settle on only telling half the truth. “She got blue hair and yellow eyes.”

McCree shoveled the last cookie into his mouth and chugged the rest of his milk. “I guess that’s pretty cool. Did she talk all fancy?”

“Yup, she called me _Élisabeth_ ,” she poorly mocked the girl’s accent while resting her head in her hands. “I never heard my name sound so pretty.”

He gave her a playful look, getting a questionable glare out of her. There was a brief silence until he began making kissy faces accompanied with sound. “Sounds like somebody is in love.”

“What are you talkin’ about?” She silently ate the rest of her cookie and avoided eye contact with him.

He laughed at her change of tune. “You should see your face. Cheeks redder than your eyes.”

“Whatever,” She shook her head at his observations, knowing well they were true. “That’s not the point. I just wanna see her again to show her around.”

McCree looked more muddled than ever. “Show her around? Don’t she live there?”

“Uh,” She could feel her neck dampen with sweat. “Yeah, but she lives by the beach. Can’t go nowhere.”

He played with the brim of the cup he was drinking his milk out of. “That’s weird. You sure you ain’t lying?” He sounded less sarcastic and more concerned at this point.

“Why would I lie about that?” For the most part she was telling the truth, yet his skepticism was making her upset. “I thought you were my friend, but you keep calling me a liar.”

He sighed and scratched the back of his neck. “It just sounds weird. What if I told you I went to Mexico and found a girl with purple hair and eyes and didn’t know much about her? Would you believe me?”

“Yes, I would” she huffed. “Cause you’re my friend and friends believe each other.”

With a guilt-ridden face he leaned against the table again. “You’re right, I’m sorry. You’re less of a friend and more like an annoyin’ big sister anyways.”

“Very funny,” she rolled her eyes but found comfort in his view of her. “But I forgive ya.”

The duo continued to talk about the rest of her vacation. She didn’t bother to get into much detail about anything else she did, as most of it was her wishing she was back home or someplace else. When they finished talking and had their dessert settled into their system, they played cowboy as they usually did when she’d visit. She never failed to make B.O.B. pretend to be a horse that they’d could both ride on. He wasn’t very effective at it since he was slow and could only crawl on all fours at a slow rate. They enjoyed it, nonetheless.

Hours flew by and it was already five in the evening. This was both Ashe and B.O.B.’s least favorite part of the visit where she made a big fuss about not wanting to leave. McCree was her only playmate aside from the omnic so it made sense that she put up a fight when they had to leave.

“It’s okay, honey.” Jesse’s mom patted the girl’s head. “We’ll see ya next month. I’ll be sure to make some more cookies, ya hear?”

“Okay,” she said softly, looking down at the floor.

The limousine silently pulled up in front of the farmhouse. “Bye, McCree.”

“Bye. Next time maybe you can bring your slingshot and we can practice aimin’.” He suggested as he waved goodbye.

She waved back and gave a quick nod. “Yeah, B.O.B. will remind me.”

“Bye B.O.B., you take care too.” The young boy’s mother added, the butler giving his own cheerful wave.

He opened the door for Ashe who looked back at the two one last time before entering her vehicle, B.O.B. getting in afterwards, slowly driving off.

 

* * *

 

 

Over the years, things in Ashe’s life had changed. No matter how much she begged her parents, they never visited France again, at least as a “family”. Her parents made it clear that they were tired of taking her to nice countries to only hear her complain the entire time. It almost drove her mad, desperate to make them believe that she wouldn’t act up again. She never forgot about the friend she made and the promise she kept her.

Years later, Jesse’s mother had passed away. An omnic on the fritz found its way to their farm and almost destroyed the place, leaving the boy alone with the farm to raise on his own. When she turned seventeen, she’d started to stay a few weekends a month at the estate her parents owned in New Mexico. She didn’t take B.O.B. with her, mostly because he “belonged” to her parents and needed him to take care of their mansion. Ashe didn’t mind since she was going to have company anyways. He was protective of her, and though he had to respect her parents wishes, he was concerned once she started taking the Viper with her, feared she was in some sort of danger. She reassured him, but it didn’t stop him from wishing he could go with her.

The two cowboy wannabes found themselves getting into more and more illegal activity when she started staying entire weekends in New Mexico. It all started when they wanted to have some beers for the night, despite them being underaged. Ashe came up with the idea to go to the nearest convenience store, one of them distracts the clerk and the other smuggle a six pack then book it. Getting a rush out of their success they continued using the same or similar tactic on different stores. Booze, cigars, anything of value they wanted they were able to steal it.

To stay on the safe side, and if they wanted to aim higher, Jesse proposed the idea of putting their marksmanship into play. They hadn’t had to use it on anyone but would take advantage of his elusive farmland to practice. The two argued which had the better weapon and would never come to any real conclusion. They also started wearing bandanas to cover their identities when going through smaller heists. Nobody would guess that the two cowboy-esque ruffians stirring trouble were two troubled teens deficient of parental guidance. They had two more recruits, other young men who were looking for thrills as well, to join along.

When Ashe turned eighteen, she told her parents she wanted to study in New Mexico. They questioned her, saying they could put her in any prestigious school in America. She argued she enjoyed the atmosphere and they already had an unused home there that she could live in. All she needed was “tuition money” and for B.O.B. to stay with her. That took more convincing, but she was able to persuade them into getting a newer omnic butler with the latest technology. B.O.B. was more than happy to stay with the young woman and personally preferred to serve her instead. He was an official accomplice. After months of having fun, they debated whether to give themselves a name. It was always up to Ashe since they saw her as their “founder”, but she never gave a yes or no answer. She had unfinished business someplace far away from New Mexico she needed to resolve.

 

* * *

 

 

The group of gangsters all stood around the pool table, drinking and socializing while most of them played. This was their third time resetting the game after B.O.B. kept bumping into the table, but they were too drunk to care. McCree managed to drink his whiskey while having some puffs of his cheap cigar and singing old songs under his breath. Ashe was a bit distracted, having moments where she’d disassociate and be lost in thought. He had to prod her a few times when it was her turn to play, giving her a bit of a headache the more he did it.

“Nudge me one more time an’ see what happens,” she threatened.

He stood there stiff for a moment before nudging her again. “It’s your turn, your majesty.”

“Ya dumbass. I need another drink,” she handed the pool cue to B.O.B., content to finally play. “Cover for me.”

She sat next to a woman she had noticed at the beginning of her billiards game with McCree, right at the bar. She was sitting all alone and looking around the empty barstools and jumped slightly when the cowgirl sat next to her. Ashe was down on her third glass of whiskey, which anyone could tell from the scent of her breath and the dazed look in her eyes. The woman was young, at least early to mid-twenties, but it didn’t stop the nineteen-year-old from taking her chances. As drunk as she was, she never failed to keep her composure and make good conversation.

“Hey, sugar.” She took a small sip of her glass and tucked her long white hair behind her ear. “Here by yourself?”

The woman blushed lightly, fidgeting with the fabric of her shirt. “Yeah. I was supposed to be on a date, but he never showed.”

“Typical,” Ashe’s black-painted nails tapped against the bar table. “Sorry to hear that, hon, but seems I’m fortunate for his mistake.”

She laughed softly, briefly looking past her almost distracted. “You’re tellin’ me.”

Ashe couldn’t stop looking at the girl before her. Something about some guy inviting a pretty girl like her out to a date at a bar on Route 66 then ditching her last minute got her upset. It didn’t get to her too badly since it seemed to be working in her favor. With her wandering eyes, she noticed she had a necklace. It was fake gold, with a cursive “E” pendant attached to it. She gently took a hold of it to analyze it, the back of her fingers briefly touching the woman’s exposed skin.

“Shame this ain’t real. I could probably find you a real nice shiny one,” she said in a hushed tone. “What’s the ‘E’ for?”

She had looked away again and back to Ashe when she felt her pendant being fondled with. “Huh? Oh, this old thing? My granddaddy gave it to me when I was a lil’ girl. ‘E’s’ for my first name.”

“Pretty girl like yourself has got to have a pretty name,” she implied inching a bit closer to her. “Can I hear it?”

The girl smiled innocently at the compliment. “My name’s Emily.”

Ashe’s eyes widened slightly. The name struck close to the girl she met on her vacation years ago. She slouched into the table, keeping a distance from Emily. Her red eyes investigated the almost empty glass set before her and cupped it between her hands. A mixed feeling of sorrow and guilt rushed to her. Had it really been ten years since that day? The time flew over her head, but she always remembered that she promised to return to her. Was it too late now? She was unsure and hated herself for not going any sooner.

“ _Hello?_ ” Emily tapped her shoulder to get her attention.

Ashe looked at the girl with wet eyes. “What?”

“I was askin’ if you know that man over there?” She said while keeping her eyes at the same direction she kept dozing to.

The young woman turned her head, looking back to McCree who was losing poorly to B.O.B. “The idiot in the derby hat? That’s McCree.”

“He’s handsome,” the girl bit her lip as she stared at him. “Think you could help another girl out and introduce me? I was lookin’ forward to some fun tonight and he seems like my type.”

Those were words Ashe never wanted to hear about her figurative brother. “Well, I’d say it was nice talkin’ to ya, but it wasn’t.” She downed the rest of her drink and got up from the barstool.

“What? Aren’t you going to help me? You said-”

Ashe didn’t even bother to hear the rest of the girl’s statement. She knew what she said and frankly didn’t feel like sticking around for much longer. McCree watched as she approached the pool table and offered his cue.

“You can play now, I’m done losin’ to-” She brushed by him and ignored his offer, reaching under the table for her rifle. “Ashe, what’re you doin’?”

“We’re leavin’, pick up your stuff and let’s move on out. B.O.B, go get the truck ready. I’m sittin’ in the bed tonight.”

They all listened and didn’t hesitate to get their belongings together. Ashe could hear the truck’s engine starting outside and made her way towards the door, everyone else rushing out before her. The bartender halted her, demanding that she or someone in their group pay for their drinks. She rolled her eyes and pointed her gun at him. “Maybe next time,” she simply said before running out.

She hopped into the bed of the truck, McCree joining her as B.O.B began to haul ass. “I told ya the bed was mine,” she hissed.

“Told ya we should’ve got the bigger truck. Or at least our own bikes.” He winked.

Ashe wasn’t in a playful mood and decided to just lay down to face the stars. “You’re so annoyin’.”

“Did I do somethin’ wrong? We were all havin’ a great time back there until you threw a fit.” He sat against the truck and looked up at the stars with her.

“You always do somethin’ wrong. Just not tonight. That back there was all me.”

“Care to explain’?”

“Not really,” she could feel her eyes tear up. She was able to sober up but could still feel the drunken haze. “It’s so stupid, Jesse.”

Hearing her say his name made him sting a little. It had been so long since she, or anyone else, has used it. If she weren’t in such a state, he’d tell her off, but he let it slide.

Letting out a sigh, he flicked the end of his cigar bud out of the moving vehicle. “Can’t be stupid if it’s makin’ ya cry.”

“I ain’t cryin’,” her voice cracked, making it more obvious that she was in fact crying.

He shrugged, deciding it was best not to argue with her. “Then there must be some excuse why you look like some washed up Rockstar.”

She couldn’t see it for herself, but his statement was somewhat true. Her winged eyeliner was smudged, and the tears from her eyes picked up the black coloring of her mascara and rolled down to her cheeks. The original dark red of her lipstick was faded from all the drinking she did. To top it off, her hair was a just a disheveled mess.

“You’re a smart ass, y’know that?”

He smiled to himself. “You’ve only told me a hundred times. Now are ya gonna tell me what’s wrong?”

“Fine,” she groaned. “Do you remember that trip I took to France?”

McCree laughed, making Ashe give him a sharp glare. “How could I forget? Little kids fightin’ about breasts.”

“Yeah,” he managed to finally stifle a laugh out of her. “Is that _all_ you remember, horn dog?”

It was his turn to stay quiet, removing his derby hat and setting it beside him. “I try not to think too much of those times.”

“Aside from that,” she continued to avoid any awkward silence. “I told ya about this girl I met.”

He pondered for a bit with a look of concentration on his face. “ _Ah_ , ya mean Emily, right?”

“ _Amélie_ _!_ ” She corrected him starkly as her voice echoed throughout the open road. “I’m sick of that other name.”

“Sorry, sorry. What does she got to do with your temperament?”

“Everything,” she breathed. “Girl’s been on my damn mind since that day and I regret never goin’ back. Why do ya think I haven’t made Deadlock official yet?”

“You mean to tell me that we ain’t official yet cause of a crush you have on some girl from years back?”

“Yeah,” she said bluntly but with self-confidence.

He let out another laugh. “I didn’t take you for the lovesick puppy type. No wonder you stay in bed all day whenever you invite a lady back to your place.”

“I’m about to throw you out this truck.” Her cheeks reddened with embarrassment. “It’s a stupid reason and even though I know it I still can’t let it go.”

“It ain’t stupid. Just need closure. I of all people could understand that.”

She turned her head to face him. “What are you sayin’?”

“Go back and find her. Can’t be too hard since you said somethin’ about her living by the beach and never leaving.”

He had no idea how much more difficult it was than she made it out to be. “She probably forgot about me.”

“Maybe. Maybe not.” He adjusted his back against the truck, resting his head. “It won’t hurt to try.”

She simply smiled at the thought of Amélie thinking about her the way she did. “You won’t mind running things while I’m gone?”

“Nah. I’ll probably do a better job anyways.”

“Thanks, jackass.” She lightheartedly punched the side of his leg as he pulled out a carton of cigarettes from his hat. “Light one up for me, will ya?”

“No problem, sis.” He took out a silver plated lighter from his front pocket, lighting two cigs and handing one to her. The rest of the night was serenely quiet, the two looking up and enjoying the night stars until they snoozed off into sleep.

 

  

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoyed, sorry for the backstory but I couldn't help it x)


	3. Something Found

The ride to the hangar was a quiet one, Ashe’s nerves getting the better of her. McCree oversaw the radio for the first time in, well, forever. He got to play his old bluegrass songs that he hummed along to as he drove the truck in between yawns. It was minutes past four in the morning, and although he was used to waking up early, it still meant he was exhausted. B.O.B. stayed in the bed of vehicle with the luggage, enjoying the outside scenery despite it being dark. She kept tapping her fingers along the dashboard and keeping her eyes on the passing view. It was annoying to her how nervous she felt since her plan was to just go back to the French Riviera and find a mythical creature. How could she not be nervous?

“We’re almost there,” McCree spoke up. “Still nervous?”

“I ain’t nervous. Just thinkin’ about what I’m gonna do when I get there.”

He snickered as he lowered the radio’s volume. “It’s okay to be nervous, Ashe. I’d be too.”

“This is a big deal for me. There’s a good chance I won’t be able to find her again.”

“If you don’t find her just make a vacation out of it. You’ll be there for a month, so that’s plenty of time to relax.”

Ashe huffed at his words. She didn’t want to go just to “relax”. Hell, she practically spent her teens having her own illegal vacationing. Her only goal was to find the mermaid, and if she couldn’t, she’d come back home and move on with her life. As much as it pained her, she knew she couldn’t dwell on a short encounter forever.

The truck stopped, Ashe reeling back into reality. “We’re here.”

They got out of the car, McCree and B.O.B. getting all the luggage out of the cargo holder. She gazed at the private jet that her parents owned, not having seen it for a few years now. It was relatively easy to convince her parents that she needed to the aircraft for a school trip and that she refused to ride with the rest of her nonexistent classmates. The only benefit to their neglectful nature was that they never questioned her if it meant they could get her out of their hairs.

B.O.B. hauled the luggage underneath his arms and brought it onboard, greeting the omnic pilot that awaited their arrival.

“I’m guessin’ my work here’s done then?” McCree rested his hands on his hips and let out a hefty breath from carrying the heavy load.

“Seems that way,” she replied bluntly.

“I’m gonna miss you too.”

She crossed her arms, not being one who liked to say goodbye. “Yeah just promise not to do anythin’ stupid while I’m gone.”

“Quit it, you put me in charge for a reason. I won’t screw things up.”

“I gave ya the number to the room I’m staying at, so be sure to check in with me so I know you ain’t dead.” Ashe looked back at the plane, B.O.B. awaiting her.

“Better not keep him waiting then. Stop your worryin’.”

With a deep breath and a simple wave goodbye, she got up the few steps into the carrier, also greeted by the pilot. “Take care, McCree.”

“You too, Ashe.”

 

* * *

 

The jet ride over was smooth with little turbulence, which somewhat helped with Ashe’s nerves. Given the time that they left and the difference in time zones, they arrived by eight at night. It frustrated her, meaning she had to wait until daylight just to seek for her friend. B.O.B. looked out the window to view the airport lighting, hues of yellow reflecting off his metallic skin. The young woman took a last sip of her champagne before leaving the aircraft.

It didn’t take long to leave the airport. All their belongings were already with them and she’d already planned for a limousine to pick her and the omnic up. It still amazed McCree how it only took her a week to have everything planned out for her. She didn’t want to admit it, but she wanted to rent out the same suite she stayed at with her parents that time they visited. It was spacious and left enough room for Amélie if she wanted to be alone.

Once the limo picked her and B.O.B. up, the driver had been instructed to stop by any liquor store nearest to the resort. Ashe wanted to buy some red wine and chocolates as a way to celebrate their reunion together. It felt strange not having to steal and to just simply pay for the items. It was easy too since she was of legal drinking age in this country (all she had to do was get an ID before coming here). Something about buying gifts with money made her feel a bit warm inside.

After the quick shopping trip, they finally reached the hotel. Ashe checked in, her nerves still getting to her. She’d never done anything like this and was usually used to other people doing things like this for her. B.O.B. couldn’t speak so it wasn’t as if he could check in for her. The process was fast, to her liking, and was assigned a bellhop to assist with their luggage.

Finally, up in their room, the bellhop bid them a goodnight and left the two alone. Ashe looked around, nostalgia kicking in. What immediately caught her attention was the dining room table. She set the bags from the liquor store down and wiped her hand over the surface. Her last memory of this piece of furniture was B.O.B. feeding her the crepes he prepared for her. Behind the table, was the window facing the ocean. Her heart race just looking at it. She stared out, a clear view of the French Riviera.

“There it is, B.O.B.” She sighed sweetly while keeping her eyes on the body of water.

He walked up behind her and looked at the waves clashing slowly. You couldn’t admire its beauty at this time of night, but it was still a soothing site to see after such a long flight. It didn’t matter, he was mostly happy that she had finally spoken after keeping herself to her thoughts. “Ya won’t mind if I go down by myself for a bit, do ya?”

He shook his head, though he would’ve preferred going down with her. It was hard to fight back the need to coddle her all the time, but he knew she was grown enough to wander along the beach by herself. Still, they had only just arrived and thought she’d want to rest and head to the beach in the morning. But, as always, Ashe was impatient and wanted her way as soon as she could get it.

“I’ll be back, quit lookin’ at me like that. I just need some air to clear my head.”

Ashe left the room and scurried down the halls, making her way to the elevator. She let out an exaggerated sigh once the doors closed, catching her breath. It was hard for her to process her emotions. How could someone feel so scared yet so excited at the same time? It wasn’t the same as the thrill of stealing or robbing some poor shop at gunpoint. This was different, and it killed her not knowing why.

As soon as the doors opened, she made her way out of the resort. From that point on, she retraced those steps she took when she walked to the beach with B.O.B. The atmosphere was different, however, as the moon was now out and there was a slight nip in the air. There was still idle chatter, but from hushed patrons at a nearby café. Gentle music emitted from the outdoor speakers, loud enough to be heard by anyone in the radius to enjoy comfortably.

Ashe stepped onto the beach and took in the smell of the ocean and sand. The lot was empty, making her grin devilishly. She was dressed in a solid white shirt, sleeves rolled up to her elbows as to show off her rose-patterned tattoo. Her pants were simple black slacks with wedged leather boots to match. She wasn’t dressed for the beach whatsoever, but nobody was there to judge her.

Eyes darting to the boulders in the distance, she jogged to them. Her white hair pushed back against the soft breeze, exhilaration entering her system. She didn’t think it’d be so exciting to see a set of plain rocks, but it did. After what only felt like a minute of running, she made it to her destination. She stopped to catch her breath, resting her hand on her knees and hunching over to breath. That’s when she heard something heavy drop into the ocean.

“Amélie?” Ashe rushed behind the bolder, watching her step as there wasn’t much surface to stand on.

Much to her disappointment, she wasn’t there. Groaning, she rested her back against the course foundation. She easily made out both rocks she used to jump on when she lost her hat. They were a bit harder to see cause of the clashing waves, but she knew those were it. Looking around, she carefully stepped on the same boulder, having better balance this time around and deciding to go on all fours to maneuver herself. Her clothes wettened, but she didn’t care. At this point she was desperate to see her again. She went to the second rock, the one where she met the mergirl. Her hand gently petted the water below her.

“What the hell am I doin’?” she sighed.  “It’s been so long, I’m probably too late. I tried to come back sooner, but, things don’t always work out in my favor.”

Her face warmed up, the feeling of tears forming rising to her eyes. “I’m sorry, Amélie.”

Right before she pulled her hand up from the water, fingers interlocked with hers, catching her off guard and almost making her slip. A womanly figure slowly emerged from the water, the city lights from above reflecting her wet skin and hair. Blue, scaly skin, dark slicked back hair with a widow’s peak, and of course, honey glow eyes. She raised herself higher, Ashe pulling her up with her hand and making room for her but keeping her eyes on her. She was speechless, to say the least.

The woman’s eyes squinted, not being able to see Ashe’s face visibly. The lighting made it obvious that the woman before her had white hair, but it was hard to make out her facial features. “Hm,” she hummed. With her free hand, she wiped her webbed thumb above her upper lip, feeling the texture of her mole. Ashe’s heart raced.

“Élisabeth. I must be dreaming,” she said softly but laughed in amazement. “It’s been so long.”

Her heart raced faster than her brain could process words. The creature before her was the same girl, but now she was a beautiful young woman such as herself. Her voice was drastically different and carried a natural seduction to it, which fitted her adult figure. “Too long,” she admitted.

“Why are you out here so late?”

“I got here about an hour or two ago,” she blushed, tightening her grip on Amélie’s hand without pressing into her webbing. “Call me crazy, but I just _had_ to see you again. Ya didn’t think I forgot my promise”

Ashe couldn’t see it, but the woman’s cheeks flushed, in awe from the other’s words. “Foolish girls we were.”

“I probably still am,” she laughed nervously, making Amélie laugh as well. “Question is, what were _you_ doing out here this late?”

Amélie nodded her head above the foundation. “I come here every night to hear that noise.”

“Noise?” She turned her head; the only distant sound was the music from the café she passed earlier. “Ah, ya like the music?”

“ _Oui_ ,” she smiled. “I don’t hear such things underwater. I wish I could hear it louder.”

Ashe felt butterflies swarm in her stomach. “If you’d like, I can take you.”

“Élisabeth,” she turned to face the ocean again and back to her. “Do you remember what I told you about my kind leaving?”

Her heart sunk, recalling every moment of their encounter. Eyes darting to the side, she heaved a sigh. As much as she wanted to ignore their stupid rule, she only promised her she’d show her around the city. She was free to do anything else afterwards and find a mate. Nodding, she looked back to the woman’s eyes.

“Yeah, I remember. But, say you don’t go and get yourself knocked up. What happens then?” She couldn’t help but feed into her fantasies.

She shrugged her shoulders in response. “I’m not sure, actually. To be honest, I don’t talk to many of my kind. The ocean’s so big, so others go off and do their own thing.”

“Do they, now?” Ashe’s spirits lifted immediately. “So y’all don’t have a leader or anything? Somebody’s gonna come and yell at ya if you don’t ‘reproduce’?”

“Well, no.” Amélie gave it some thought before responding. “I would say the rule is more so that we don’t become, eh, extinct.”

Now devoured in confidence, Ashe wrapped an arm around her bare waist, feeling the scales brush against her fingers. “Darlin’, you ever heard of the phrase ‘there’s plenty of fish in the sea’? Everyone else can go off and have babies if they want to, but you don’t gotta unless you wanna.”

“I’ve never told anybody, but I _really_ don’t want to,” she admitted. “But I still want to see as much of France as I can, before you leave again.”

Ashe smiled and pulled Amélie into her. “Well let’s go then,” she got up from the rock they rested on as she carefully stepped over onto the dry land.

“Stop it!” She laughed as her tail slapped against her legs. “Just put me down on the sand.”

She complied, gently laying the mermaid onto the wet sand. Arms crossed, she watched as her magenta scales lit, intrigued by what she was witnessing. Amélie began to gasp for air, coughing harshly. The display contrasted the magical show her tail was performing, making Ashe kneel to grab her. Putting a hand to her face, she shook her head, her eyes asking her to just let it happen. Worried, Ashe stayed to her level and watched as her one tail became two legs, the gills on her neck disappearing all while gasping for air.

“Are you alright?” Ashe turned the woman’s head gently to look at her.

Amélie nodded, steadying her breathing and grasping Ashe’s wrist. “I couldn’t breathe for a while, but I’m okay.” She looked down to her new set of legs and laughed, louder than Ashe had ever heard her laugh before. “I can’t believe it.”

“Neither can I.” She eyed the bare legs before her. They were long and had some muscle definition to them, making her blush. “Can ya get up?” She asked while already setting an arm under hers and slowly standing her up.

Her legs shook about, making her giggle. “This feels funny.” She clung onto Ashe’s arms tightly, shivering from the breeze. “How strange.”

“You’re tellin’ me. Skin’s so smooth and soft now without those scales.” She could only wish she had better lighting so she can admire Amélie’s new form. It was either her eyes playing her trick on her, or her pigment changed along with her body. She was only about an inch or two taller than her, making her appear more as a goddess to the cowgirl’s eyes.

As they walked, the new human couldn’t help but wobble in her walk pattern. Aside from not being used to it, she was too distracted by what seemed to be new senses to her. Sand sticking to her wet skin, feeling breezes in places she didn’t think it’d be possible. She even kept staring at her fingers, no webbing connecting them together. Ashe held her close to her, finding herself to be happy in the woman’s presence. It almost seemed as though life was sprung into her.

Hearing the music get closer, she was eager to find the source and listen to it. “Is that it?”

“Yeah.” The illumination from the boardwalk’s lights showed Amélie’s body much more clearly. Her hair was much darker, almost black in appearance, and her skin was a soft ivory. It was surprising how different she looked yet maintained her more human-like features. Her eyes still held an intense stare to it. As much as being with a beautiful unclothed woman could get Ashe excited, she was only dumbfounded in how she was able to find her again. That’s when it hit her.

“Damn it,” she sucked in her teeth.

“What is wrong?”

Ashe blushed for a moment and peeked her head above the short wall. “I didn’t think to bring you any clothes.”

“Clothes?” She eyed her own naked body then the damp clothing Ashe was wearing. “But I’ve seen many naked people at the beach.”

“Yeah, well, we’re about to step out the beach where there ain’t many naked people.” She began to unbutton her dress shirt with one hand, revealing a plain white tank-top underneath. “This should be long enough to cover up.” She carefully rested Amélie’s back against the wall, making her face hot. “Need help?”

She nodded in response. “ _Merci_ ”

Ashe cleared her throat as she coated her shirt over the woman’s torso. She helped put her arms through the sleeves, leaving her in awe. The cowgirl could only imagine how strange it must feel to wear clothing after never wearing it before. This was only the beginning of her being able to experience a mermaid’s first time out of water and reacting to everything as if she was new to life itself. She tugged on the bottom of the shirt as much as she could to cover herself up more, but her rear end seemed to have other plans.

“It ain’t doin’ much, but I’m sure nobody’s gonna notice us.” She repositioned herself, arm underneath hers and hand around her now clothed waist. “Ready?”

“ _Oui_.”

She looked around at the empty sidewalks and streets, carefully bringing her up the steps to leave the beach. Immediately the woman was amazed at the lights before her. They glowed a soft yellow, almost matching the color in her eyes. The simple scenery was breathtaking to her, and although Ashe wasn’t too impressed, she felt sincere knowing her new companion enjoyed it so much.

“Enjoyin’ the view?” She smiled to Amélie, the world around her seeming as if it was stopping in time.

“It’s beautiful. I’ve never seen anything like it.” Her voice was soft, and her accent was cute enough to make the other’s ears warm up every time she heard it.

“Sure is,” she found herself lost in the woman’s gaze, enjoying her own view.

Amélie’s eyes looked down, meeting Ashe’s stare. A rush of heat hurried to her cheeks and turned to a soft red. She tenderly laughed and took a hold of Ashe’s chin, now able to see her much clearer. “You look so mature now,” she noted while observing the woman’s sharp features and even her makeup. Her lips parted a bit before founding another smile.

“So do you, pumpkin’.” It took everything in her power not to grab hold of the other side of her waist and pull her in for a kiss. They were almost alone, the scenery was enchanting, and the music emanating from the café set the right mood. It was a picture-perfect moment like in those Spanish shows McCree used to watch with his mama.

As much as she wanted to, it wasn’t part of their arrangement and she didn’t want to take advantage of the situation. “We should get ya inside before anybody sees us.” She regretfully turned her head and continued to hold onto her to help her walk the rest of their way to the hotel.

They arrived at a reasonable amount of time considering Amélie would stop to look at something through a shop window that she’d never seen before. Ashe didn’t mind, as it only gave her more alone time with her. She was also fortunate that the hotel’s receptionist was someone different, as it would’ve been awkward to explain why she’s bringing back a half-naked woman when she didn’t leave with one. Nevertheless, it didn’t stop the employee from eyeing her as they entered the elevator.

The motion of the elevator ascending startled her, not expecting the sudden movement. “What a strange thing,” she said to herself, making Ashe snort at her observation. “What is so funny?”

“You,” she laughed again. “You’re adorable.”

Her cheeks puffed a little but she joined her in laughter. “Whatever.”

Before Ashe could riposte, the elevator doors opened. The small hallway was empty as expected, the single door leading to her suite. She guided her out of the elevator and approached the door. To her advantage, the door opened with a keypad, so she didn’t have to let go of Amélie for any kind of key. The door unlocked, but she didn’t walk her in just yet.

“Now, before we get in there, I should let ya know I’m not alone.”

Amélie gave her a puzzled look. “How do you mean?”

“That day we met, and you swam off cause somethin’ scared ya, right?”

“I remember, why?”

“That was my butler, B.O.B. He may be scary lookin’, but he’s real nice and keeps to himself. Just letting you know so I don’t catch you swimmin’ down this hallway and into the elevator.”

She shook her head. “I’m not going back in that box by myself.”

“Atta girl,” she chuckled.

Ashe opened the door, a clear view of B.O.B. already dressed in his sleepwear and watching television on the couch. He looked to the door, happy to see Ashe, but stunned to see Amélie. They both stared at each other with intensity.

“Alright. Amélie, B.O.B., B.O.B., Amélie. Told ya she was real.”

He got up from the couch and approached the two women, holding out his hand to the new face he’d never seen before. Amélie looked at him in wonder, having never seen anybody like him. It was common for him to get that kind of reaction, less so nowadays. She carefully gave him her hand, where he’d lower his head and hover it over as though he were “kissing” it. She tittered at the gesture, so sign of fear in her.

“As you can see, he has great manners. Draw her a bath, would ya?”

The omnic nodded his head and rushed his way to the guest bathroom down the hallway. “A bath?”

“I figured you don’t wanna smell like the ocean when we go sight seein’ tomorrow.”

Her face lit with joy when hearing about her plans. “I suppose not.”

B.O.B. came back out of the bathroom, giving Ashe affirmation with a nod of his head. She led her to the bathroom, Amélie gasping at the sight. It was a large bathroom accommodated with all the essentials. The spa tub was whirling from the jets, keeping the water nice and warm. There was a shower in the corner of the room as well, but Ashe figured it’d be safer to use the tub for now.

Amélie dipped her hand in the water, freeing herself from Ashe’s hold as she knelt to the floor. “I’ve never seen water do this before. It’s so warm.”

“It feels really nice after a long day. This ain’t somethin’ people normally use, but I thought I might spoil you while you’re out of the sea.”

“How sweet of you,” she smiled, carefully letting herself up. “Do I take this off?”

She gulped as she watched her tug on the collar of the shirt that she lent her. “Yeah, do ya need help?”

“ _Oui_.”

 _Shit_. Ashe approached her, undoing each button of the blouse for her. She had seen her naked not even an hour ago, yet she felt anxious. The circumstances were different now, as she now had a clearer view of her and was slowly undressing her from her single piece of clothing. The moment she undid the button, the other relaxed her shoulders, allowing the shirt to fall to the ground. She turned around, revealing her backside that Ashe couldn’t see in the dark night. Her torso was lean, yet she managed to have a big—

“Can I step in now?” She asked innocently.

Leaving her thoughts at the sound of her voice, Ashe nodded. “Uh, yeah, water shouldn’t be too hot.”

“Okay,” she had excitement in her tone. She stepped into the tub, Ashe staying close behind her in case she slips. She recoiled a little, not used to the temperature of the hot water, but she eased into it once she lowered the rest of her body in it. “ _Ouh là là_.”

Ashe snorted at how comfortable she looked and the sound she had made. “It’s nice, ain’t it?”

“It is. Why don’t you join me?” She splashed her hand in the empty space around her. “You can fit.”

She turned scarlet and although she was literally inviting her in, she had to decline, for her own sake. “I’m good for now, thanks.” Ashe picked up the small bottle of body soap on the edge of the tub, unscrewed the lid, and handed it to her. “Why don’t you bathe yourself and I’ll wash your hair for you.”

“My hair?” Amélie touched the ends of her hair, which was damp from having just coming out of the ocean. “If you say so.”

Ashe reached for the little shampoo bottle and lathered the contents onto her hands. “Just pour some of that on your hands and rub it along your body.” With shaky fingers, she massaged them into the woman’s scalp, collecting each strand of hair and applying shampoo to them. Surprisingly to her, her hair was extremely soft.

Amélie was confused at first but eased into her touch. Feeling her nails grind carefully against her skin made her chipper and rest her eyes for a moment. Barely a minute passed when she realized she needed to bathe herself and was quick to do so. She could hear her laugh at her, making her blush. Soaping her palms, she rubbed it along her arms and gasped lightly at how the clear lather turned white against her skin. She continued to spread the soap along the rest of her body. The other kept her focus on her hair, daring herself not to watch as she bathed herself.

Ashe got up to grab an empty glass from the counter and sat back down. “Close your eyes.”

Without arguing she did as she asked, closing her eyes while also latent against the tub. Ashe scooped up the water with the empty glass and poured it over her hair. She sighed soothingly, enjoying the treatment she was receiving from her as well as the jet she was sitting in front of. The cowgirl smiled at her sight and continued washing her hair, enjoying the silence they shared. Her eyes flickered while exhaling a yawn. She’d been up since early hours of her morning and didn’t rest much the night prior.

“Sleepy?” Amélie peeked an eye open and tilted her head back to look at her.

Stubborn as usual, she shook her head. “Nah, I’m fine. I’m done washin’ your hair now.”

She stood up from the tub and stretched out her arms. Ashe laid out a small towel on the floor for her to step on and brought over another one for her to dry off. She took it and dried herself off, feeling the fuzzy fabric go against her skin. “Everything feels so funny.”

“Is that a bad thing?” She asked and used a smaller cloth to dry off her hair until it was damp.

“No. I like it.” She smiled.

Ashe looked behind the door for a complimentary bathrobe and exchanged it for the towel, tossing it on the floor for B.O.B. to pick up later. “Good. Put this on and I’ll show ya to your room.”

Amélie put the robe on, remembering how Ashe had put the shirt on her. Before leaving the bathroom, Ashe tied up the robe for her so it wouldn’t expose her. The suite had three bedrooms, and although the master bedroom was more spacious, the room she stayed in ten years ago had a better view of the ocean. She led her in, flipping a switch that turned on the bedside lamp.

“Is this where I sleep?” She asked while sliding her hand against the comforter.

She yawned again and nodded her head. “Yup. Let me just clear these pillows for you. They’re just there for decoration.” Hauling up all the pillows into her arms, she set them down on a chair near the bed, shrugging when some of them fell over. She then untucked the sheets, allowing her room for Amélie to set in. Once looking at the bed, she realized how much bigger it looked when she was younger. “There ya go.”

“So complicated.” She snickered as she placed herself on the bed. Her smooth legs brushed up against the sheets as her body melted into the memory foam. “Oh!”

Ashe shyly rubbed at the back of her neck. “I’ll let you sleep now. Got a big day tomorrow.”

“Why don’t you sleep with me?” she offered.

“Pardon?”

“It’s my first night so I don’t really want to sleep alone.” She laid on her side, keeping eye contact with her. “Please?”

Red in the face, she kicked off her shoes. The bottom of her pants were still damp so she decided to take them off, now only in her tank top and underwear. Most of her makeup had wore off throughout the day so she didn’t bother wiping away the rest. Clearing her throat, she lied down next to her, keeping her distance as much as possible without hanging off the edge of the bed.

Amélie grabbed Ashe’s left wrist and pulled it towards her, tracing her finger along her tattoo. “What is this?”

“My tattoo?” She looked down at it, goosebumps forming from her touch. “They’re just two roses on a vine.”

“It’s pretty. Can I get one?”

“A tattoo?”

“Obviously.”

“We’ll see. They’re kinda permanent so you should only get one if you’re sure you’re gonna like it. They hurt, too, not gonna lie.”

Amélie yawned, her now half lidded eyes looking into Ashe’s while still caressing her tatted arm. “I’ll think about it more, then.”

“Yeah.” It felt like her whole body was warming up yet getting chills all at once. “I bet you’d chicken out.”

“How dare you,” she laughed tiredly. “I can take it.”

“I’m joshin’ ya,” she moved a strand of hair from Amélie’s face. “Goodnight, sugar.”

“Goodnight.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for taking long, anniversary had me grinding for skins lmao


	4. Taste Tests

The sun was barely out when the phone began to ring, filling out any empty silence that was there before. Ashe’s body shook itself awake as the noise caught her off guard. She forgot where she was until she saw the beautiful woman sleeping right across from her. France. She was in a country far from home next to someone she’d never thought she’d see again. A comforting warmth settled in her chest at the sight before her. Amélie’s hair was all dry, occupying the entirety of her pillow. Her cheeks were lightly flushed, and her brows furrowed a bit from the sound of the phone ringing. Ashe groaned, but answered the room’s landline so she wouldn’t wake up.

Turning her body over, she got herself out of bed and took the phone off its port. “Hello?”

“Don’t tell me you ain’t awake yet.”

McCree. “Now I am, thanks to you. Even when you’re nowhere near me you’re still a nuisance.” Ashe crept away from the bed and opened the glass door that led to the balcony. “What time is it?”

“It’s two-in-the-mornin’ here. So, I reckon’ it’s eight over there.”

“Shit!” She looked down at the sidewalks, which were much livelier compared to last night. “We were supposed to be eatin’ breakfast by now.”

“We?” He sounded amused. “Didn’t know B.O.B. ate.”

Ashe rolled her eyes. “Not B.O.B.. Amélie.”

“Found her already?” He chuckled, making Ashe blush. “If there’s one thing I can say about you is that you’re determined.”

“There’s plenty I can say about you, but I don’t got time for that.” She laughed herself. “Thanks for callin’, really, but I gotta go now. Have a lot planned out for today.”

“I won’t keep ya, then. Have fun.”

“Thanks, and McCree? Go to bed.”

McCree let out another snicker. “Whenever the booze decides its time, I will.”

“Goodnight, ya idiot.” Ashe hung up and went back into the room, eyes met with Amélie’s, who was sitting up on the bed and stretching her arms. “Oh, you’re awake. Sorry, didn’t mean to be loud.”

She shook her head. “No, you didn’t wake me up. But I was wondering where you went.”

“My friend from back home called me to see how I was doin’.” She put the phone back on the charging port and did some stretching of her own. “Did you at least sleep okay?”

Amélie smiled and nodded. “I’ve never slept more comfortably. Everything is so soft!”

“Good, good.” Ashe was more than satisfied with her response, worried she wouldn’t find comfort from the different environment.

The sounds of two stomachs rumbling came up, making Amélie grasp her stomach. “I feel more hungry than usual, though.”

“Good, cause I’m starvin’. I’ll see what B.O.B.’s up to so we can go to the café downstairs and get some breakfast.” Ashe looked around the floor for her pants but couldn’t find them. “And get us some clothing.”

She looked down to the robe she was wearing, the sash that was tied around her waist loosened, possibly from moving around in her sleep. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”

“Nothin’ wrong with it, but you’ll get some funny looks goin’ out like that.” She explained, unable to keep her eyes off her. “I have some clothes that should fit, but we can do some shoppin’ later on.”

Ashe’s hospitality made Amélie smile. “I’m looking forward to it, then.”

“Let me get you a change of clothes after I talk to the big guy,” she winked, making the other press her hand to her lips and laugh.

Ashe left the room and walked down the hallway, about to check to see what the omnic was up to until she heard shuffling in the master bedroom. Curious, she changed course and walked there instead. She opened the door to find that he had been setting up her belongings in the dresser and closet since they were going to be living there for an entire month. He met eyes with her and gave her a wave. As usual, he was already dressed in a brown leather flatcap, white polo, jeans, and shoes that matched his headwear.  

“So, this is what you’ve been doin’ all mornin’.” She opened a few drawers, finding all her clothing nicely folded away, only to pull some clothes out for Amélie. “Our guest needs some clothes so we’re gonna have to do some shoppin’ today or at least some time this week.”

B.O.B. gave her a quick nod while putting away the last of her clothing. It was hard to explain how, but he seemed more happy than usual. It wasn’t something you could read off his face but could feel it resonating off him. She didn’t question it as she had a slight hunch as to why he was so chipper.

“I’m gonna give these to her then take a shower. I know I don’t gotta tell you, but if she needs anythin’ help her out.”

Without saying anything else, she left the room and went back to the second bedroom where she and Amélie had slept. Thinking about the way the two of them fell asleep made her feel flustered inside. Having her skin caressed by her and hearing the softness of her voice was something she wanted to be part of her normal routine. Even if it wasn’t supposed to be romantic, just having that kind of touch was something she was missing out on.

“I’m back,” Ashe looked around the empty room and raised a brow. “Where the hell” She noticed the bathrobe on the floor and the balcony door was opened. Tossing the clothes on the bed, she went out to the balcony. There Amélie stood, in the nude once more. Her body was leaned against the railing as she watched the people way below strolling about. The morning sun shined beautifully against her skin and she looked as though she had just stepped out of a painting. The moment stopped when Amélie turned to find Ashe, who had been staring at her.

“This view is lovely. I didn’t think we were so high up.” The slight wind pushed her loose hair around, revealing most of her face.

Ashe reached out for her hand and guided her away from the railing. “The view is nice and all, but I got my eyes on somethin’ else.”

“Élisabeth,” she giggled out her name, cheeks reddening. “You’re silly.”

Her reaction alone was enough to make Ashe melt right there, but she was right; she _was_ being silly. “I, uh, brought you some clothes. They’re on the bed. I’m gonna go shower quick, then we can go and eat.”

“Oh,” Amélie tucked her hair behind her ears, her demeanor changed in an instant. “I’ll do that now, then.”

With no more words to exchange Ashe quickly sped to the bathroom in the master bedroom, passing B.O.B. and ignoring most of her surroundings. She locked the door and exhaled sharply, taking off the remainder of her clothing and starting up the shower. She looked around for the shower cap and tucked her hair underneath it, wanting just a quick body wash.

“I’m such an idiot,” she mumbled to herself. “I need to cool it with the flirtin’.”

She continued to mentally chastise herself while the warm beads of water slapped her skin. The remainder of her makeup from the day before washed off her face, watching as the water dulled to a murky gray from her eyeliner and mascara. Finally getting the loofah and lathering it in body soap, she gave herself a quick but effective wash.

After she was done, she dried off with a towel and wrapped it around her body. She moved on to the sink, proceeding with the rest of her morning tasks. Brushing her teeth, brushing her hair, and finally, applying her makeup. Sharp black winged eyeliner complimented with grey eyeshadow, and to top it off, her deep red lipstick she seemed to love so much. The moment she finished applying her makeup, she left the bathroom to find Amélie looking at where B.O.B. had set out her jewelry.

“Élisabeth!” She looked as though she was going to say something, but instead looked carefully at Ashe’s face. “You look gorgeous.”

The cowgirl blushed wildly, never receiving that kind of compliment from someone she _wanted_ to hear it from. “Thanks. All I did was put on some makeup.”

“Makeup,” she repeated while analyzing Ashe’s face, making her already reddened skin deepen in color. “May I try it?”

Ashe smiled. “Yes, you may. Sit here,” she pulled up the chair from the vanity table, Amélie sitting down as instructed. She eyed her head to toe, taking in her appearance. She wore a white laced deep V neck crop top, something Ashe usually wore as an undershirt but was entranced with how cute it looked standalone. The rest of her attire consisted of light blue denim shorts that complimented her long legs. Her hair was done as well, brushed back and a small portion of it picked up and tied into a ponytail. All that was missing were some shoes to complete her look. “You look gorgeous yourself, by the way.”

“Thank you,” she shyly coiled some of her loose hair around her finger as Ashe went to get her makeup from the bathroom.

Ashe quickly returned, pulling up the ottoman that was in front of the bed closer so she could sit before her. “I’ll start with the eyeshadow.”

Amélie nodded and instinctively closed her eyes when Ashe brought the small applicator to her eyes. Ashe softly took hold of her face to keep it still, applying the smoky grey makeup to her eyelids, filling up each space, only leaving a small amount for the eyeliner. Once she was done, she prompted her to keep her eyes closed, as she was now going to put on the liner. With full concentration and a steady hand, she traced the black pen along the edge of her eyelids, starting with the wing first and drawing out the rest of the lining. For her pouty lips, she decided to go with a brighter red lipstick, one she bought one time but didn’t like. As she was coloring them in, she saw how much nicer it looked on her anyways.

“Done,” she said, admiring her work. “What do ya think?”

She swiveled the chair around to meet the mirror, leaning in to get a better look. “I love it! Thank you.”

“Anytime, sugar.” Amélie’s smile said it all, making her feel good inside.

It was Ashe’s turn to get dressed, in which she did. At first, she was waiting for Amélie to leave the room to give her privacy, but she didn’t take the hint and stayed to chat. It was mostly about how grateful she was to her and how she still couldn’t believe that she was able to find her again, or even remembered the promise. She empathized with her, she herself still amazed at their reunion. It made her beyond happy knowing she thought of her as much as she did all these years.

Sliding on her blazer, Ashe was ready to go. Before leaving, she went to the shoe rack in the walk-in closet, finding a pair of white sandals with gold trimmings that matched what Amélie was already wearing. With a grin on her face, she met with her again, kneeling before her and sliding on the shoes on her feet and securing them with the fastener. Amélie looked down to the footwear and stood up, wriggling her toes against the sandal’s flat material.

Their stomachs growled again in unison once more, giving each other a grin. “Now that you’re all dressed, let’s go eat.”

* * *

 

The trio finally left the hotel room and made their way to the café that was right next door. Ashe and Amélie locked arms as they walked, as the former mermaid was still getting the hang of walking such long distances. They received many different types of looks from other foreigners and natives alike. Some filled with lust towards the young girls while others stared daggers into B.O.B. The atmosphere was much different now that Ashe was a somewhat independent young adult, and she could feel it. She was unsure if Amélie was able to as well, but she looked content and that’s all she cared about.

At the café, they snagged a small round table on the terrace, Ashe pulling out a chair for Amélie before sitting down. Ashe sent B.O.B. to get them an assortment of breads and pastries, along with two espressos and some water. From what she could remember as a kid, B.O.B. was able to make all kinds of purchases from bakeries just by pointing at the menu or item, so she wasn’t worried about him. For now, she was able to enjoy her little solitude with Amélie.

“How do you know B.O.B.?” She asked while watching him wait in the small line through the window.

Ashe looked to him as well, then back to her. “Where to even start. Long story short, he was our butler for as long as I could remember. He’s not really a butler no more, but he still acts like one from time-to-time.”

“What’s a butler?”

She stroked her chin to think of an easy way to explain it. “Just someone that does things for you. Cookin’ your food, cleanin’ your clothes. Pretty much any chore you need done.”

“Oh. That makes sense, considering he did my hair while you were away.”

Ashe laughed to herself. “Yeah, he’s pretty good with long hair. He hasn’t done my hair in a long time, so he probably misses it.”

“How sweet.” She smiled to her and hummed. “Your parents must be happy that he takes such good care of you.”

Ashe rolled her eyes at the mention of them. “More like they’re happy they don’t gotta be responsible for me.”

“What do you mean?” She frowned a little.

Before answering, she shifted her attention back to B.O.B., who was bringing over a tray of all sorts of goodies for them to eat. Amélie looked to all the food as the omnic set everything neatly on the table. Their conversation could wait, she was starving.

“I’d rather be havin’ eggs and biscuits, but anything will do for me at this point.” Ashe immediately took a sip of her espresso. “Anythin’ you wanna try first?”

The assortment of foods was overwhelming to her, but her sights settled on one of the croissants. “I’ll try this one,” she reached for it and took a gentle bite out.

She watched as she tried the pastry for the first time. “Like it?”

“Mhm!” Amélie nodded. The fluffiness of the bread was unlike anything she’s ever had before, prompting her to take a few more little bites. “It’s exquisite.”

She snickered, she herself enjoying one of the freshly baked croissants as well. “If you want you can dip it into your coffee and eat it. I’m not a big fan of it, but there’s no harm in tryin’.”

“Hm?” She looked down to the espresso cup, lightly dabbing the flaky treat inside then reaching it back to her mouth to try it. “How interesting. It tastes so different now.”

Taking another bite of her croissant, she couldn’t help but look at how cute she looked trying the food. “I’m not fond of the texture, but if you like eatin’ it that way then be my guest.”

The two continued to eat as B.O.B. watched them interact. His bright green eyes traveled back and forth each time one spoke to another and stay on either of them when they’d refer to him. He couldn’t say it, but seeing Ashe go out of her way for someone this way pleased him. The way she was brought up as a child and her teenage years spent engaging in criminal activity constantly worried him. Her generosity, and obvious attraction, towards this woman filled him with optimism.

When they finished eating their breakfast, he cleared the table of any clutter and returned the espresso cups inside. Ashe explained to Amélie that the first thing she wanted to get out of the way was visiting Paris. It was the most popular city to visit in all of France, meaning tourists from all over the world would be there. Just a long day that she’d be eager to get out of the way. They decided to take a bullet train there, and from where they were staying, would take about two hours to get there. Taking a flight there was a bit shorter in time, but she didn’t want Amélie to fear being so high up. They purchased their tickets and awaited the train’s arrival, which didn’t take long. Boarding, Amélie was in awe at the train’s interior. It was simple, wide walkways and booth seating with tables for passengers to relax and use their laptops or enjoy onboard foods.

About an hour into the ride, Amélie’s stomach rumbled. “Oh dear.”

“You alright, sugar?”

She shook her head. “I have to _go_.”

Ashe was able to read her face well and recognize what she meant. “Uh, come with me.” She grabbed her by the hand and walked to the end of the hallway where the lavatories were, bringing her inside with her into the cramped room.

“This looks like the room where I took a bath,” she struggled her words, squirming against the other’s body. “But smaller.”

The cowgirl’s face reddened; their bodies pressed too closely into each other. “No kiddin’. I’ll just tell you what you gotta do and I’ll leave ya to it.”

Awkwardly, she had to explain the process of how to use the toilet. It sounded ridiculous, and if anybody could hear two grown women having this conversation, they’d be right to think so. She explained the necessary hygienics that needed to take place when she was done with her business. Once Amélie seemed to understand, she was ready to casually walk out of the bathroom and leave her to it.

 

* * *

 

 

The second hour breezed by, almost the middle of the day already. Time felt as though it was against Ashe, but she needed to remind herself that she had a whole month to spend with Amélie. They had ample time to do all the things she wanted to do and show her.

Once they left the train station, they hailed a cab and made their first stop to the Eiffel Tower. The line to climb the tower, both via elevator and the hundreds of flights of stairs, Amélie was happy enough to see it up close. It was nothing like she imagined, and although Ashe wasn’t impressed by it, just the sight of it made Amélie cry. In fact, she teared up at every sight they saw that day. The famous tower, Notre Dame, even the few hours they spent at the Lourve. Seeing everything important to her country’s history and what makes it want to be visited by thousands of people every day made her emotional. Even though Ashe couldn’t personally understand, seeing her get this sentimental got to her, having to fight back her own tears from forming.

Their day was well spent, having done everything Ashe wanted to do in Paris. They had a late lunch at a restaurant that had a stunning view of the Eiffel Tower. Amélie tried the filet mignon and Ashe had to explain where the meat came from. That conversation led to talking about McCree and his early farm life. It was a concept she could barely grasp but she had a general idea of what it could be like.

Leaving the restaurant, they decided to explore more of the streets before leaving. Amélie gushed about her day, more excited about the following days to come. B.O.B. walked behind the two women and watched as they laughed and carried idle chitchat. They perked their ears, hearing the faint sound of music emanating from one of the buildings. Ashe was curious and led the group to wherever the sound was coming from. The streets were almost empty at this point, and she couldn’t think of anything else to do in the city. They reached the building that had a line of people waiting on the sidewalk. The music coming from the building didn’t seem like the type that would play at nightclubs, so she was a little confused.

“Are they waiting for something?” Amélie whispered into Ashe’s ear.

She nodded. “Yeah, it’s probably exclusive. These kind of places ain’t really my scene, but maybe you might like it.”

“What are you supposed to do here?”

“Just dance and have a few drinks. I can teach ya how to dance.”

Amélie blushed and nodded her head. “Okay, let’s go!”

“Just follow my lead. You too, B.O.B.”

Ashe moved her arm around Amélie’s waist, fingers meeting her skin. They approached the bouncer at the door, who eyed the three of them curiously. “Hey,” she gave a sly wink to the large man, deep down wanting to vomit.

“ _Bonsoir._ ” He replied, analyzing them. “ _Vous êtes belles, mesdames._ ”

“ _Je vous remercie._ ” Amélie shared the discomfort, heavily, but did as she was asked and followed Ashe’s lead. “ _Pouvons-nous entrer à l'intérieur?_ ”

He stayed silent for a moment, Ashe having no idea what words they had exchanged. “ _Oui. L'omnic peut aussi entrer._ ”

“ _Merci_ ” Amélie nodded to Ashe. “We can go in.”

The trio stepped inside the lounge and looked around. The lighting was dimmed and there were plenty of couples socializing with one another. A lot of the men were dressed nicely, most of the attires consisting of dress shirts and slacks. The women wore very skimpy dresses, and if it weren’t for the lighting, Ashe could’ve sworn they were wearing lingerie. Nobody was dancing, minus a couple of people grinding in the darker corners. She guided Amélie to an empty couch to take their seats. B.O.B. couldn’t fit on the loveseat beside them, so he walked his way to the other side of the room to examine the décor.

“This place seems nice,” she looked at the coffee table before them, a plate of chocolate dipped strawberries laid present to them. “Pretty high-class for a nightclub.”

Amélie looked to the strawberries then to the other couples who were enjoying the same treat. She picked one up off the plate and held it to Ashe’s lips, circling the fruit around them. “Do you want some?”

“What the,” Ashe blushed furiously. She looked across from them and saw a woman being fed the berry in a similar fashion, but from someone who appeared to be her date. Admittedly, it was a weird gesture to perform in public. “I don’t, uh, okay.”

She giggled and gently guided the strawberry into her mouth, prompting the cowgirl to take a bite out of it. “Did I do it right?”

“That’s one way to eat a strawberry,” her heart began to pound against her chest. “Why don’t you eat one?”

“Very well,” She crossed a leg over the other and leaned in slightly, resting her hands on her knees. “Do me next.”

Her forward words gave Ashe a devilish smile. “Alright then.” She reached for another strawberry, gyrating it around the young woman’s ruby red lips, causing her to chuckle.

“That tickles,” she blushed, keeping her lips parted waiting for the berry to enter her mouth.

Ashe prudently pushed the fruit between her lips, watching as she bit into it and hummed from its sweet taste. “Ya got some chocolate on your mouth,” she eyed the small brown stain on the corner of her mouth.

“Oh?” Her eyes tried to cross down to her own lips, unable to see the stain.

She laughed. “I’ll get that for you.”

Ashe pressed her hand to the side of Amélie’s face. The lighting in the room had dark corners, giving the illusion that nobody else was there. A nearby lamp’s warm glow reflected her eyes, appearing as magical orbs that were easy to get lost in. If the stories about sirens were true, she wouldn’t doubt it for a moment, for if she were a sailor at sea and found her beauty calling to her, she’d most likely drown. Despite her self-discipline she had in the shower this morning, she found herself leaning closer to her. Unless it was her imagination, Amélie did the same.

“ _Bonjour_.” A man’s voice crept from behind them, a figure standing behind the couch. “ _Comment ça va, mesdames?_ ”

Ashe regretfully let go of her cheek and stared daggers into him. If only she had brought her rifle. “ _No gracias_ ,” she muttered between her teeth.

“Ah, American.” He smiled as though he had made the discovery of a lifetime while casually putting his wedding band in his coat pocket. “My English is not too good. Are you two, how do you say, sisters?”

The two women looked at each other in confusion. “ _Excusez-moi?_ ” Amélie asked, irritation in her tone.

Ashe was pleased that Amélie shared the same attitude. “What the hell would give you that idea?” She intervened.

“Oh, oh. You both look so much the same.” He took a sip from the wine glass he was holding. “That won’t be a problem, I can always pretend.”

The fair-haired woman was beyond confused at that point. “Pretend what?”

“Come. There are some rooms that aren’t taken.” He nodded his head towards a dark hallway. “We can have a _ménage à trois?_ ”

The moment he finished his sentence, a loud moan echoed from the dark hallway. Her face burned with tremor. She wasn’t fluent in French, not by a long shot. However, she knew exactly what those last words meant. The pieces were starting to make sense; the dim lighting, aphrodisiacs laid out on coffee tables, the lingerie.

Ashe bolted up and grabbed Amélie’s wrist. “B.O.B.!” She shouted, drawing the attention from everyone in the room. “Where are you? We’re leavin’ right now!”

B.O.B. jogged across the room, leaving the burly man who he seemed to have been listening to before she shouted. “Oh,” the Frenchman spoke. “I’ve never made love to an omnic before.”

“And you ain’t goin’ to.”

Ashe made her way out the door and left the building, jogging as far away as possible to get to a main road. After a few minutes of running, they stopped, catching their breaths. B.O.B. hailed a cab, the three of them immediately getting inside. She told the driver to take them to the train station, relaxing in the seat and caressing Amélie’s hand.

“I’m so sorry,” she breathed. “Are you alright?”

Amélie nodded. “I’m fine. What was that place? That man was so forward. _Imbécile._ ”

“Some kind of night club for people who want to have sex.” Ashe blushed, remembering what they were doing before they were interrupted.

Her cheeks pinkened, glancing out the window for a moment. “Oh.”

“Yeah.” Without realizing it, her hand landed over Amélie’s. “Sorry-” Amélie laced her fingers between hers before she could apologize. Ashe’ heart fluttered inside her chest, slowly locking their hands together.

It was roughly two hours before they got back to the resort. B.O.B. stayed on the couch to watch some television, leaving the women to do their own bidding. Ashe grabbed for a little nightgown dress she had in one of the drawers, lending it to Amélie so she can change. The two were quiet and shared the silence the room had to offer. As the cowgirl was about to walk her to her own room, the other took comfort on the king-sized bed. She changed into her own pajamas, just a camisole with matching shorts and turned off the lights. Even with the amount of space the bed had to offer, it didn’t stop Amélie from inviting herself into Ashe’s space. Of course, she didn’t mind it and couldn’t back away when she felt an arm wrap around her side, the sound of their breathing drifting them into a peaceful slumber.


	5. B.O.B. Did Somethin'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> added some translations for this chapter cause there's a little bit of wordy dialogue

The following days, weeks, were endless bliss. The three tourists would wake up, have their breakfast at the little café next door, then venture off into the country to explore the sights. Every day that passed managed to be more fun than the last, and the two women grew closer as they lived through new experiences together. As far as B.O.B. could tell, Ashe had never been happier. However, he worried what she’d do once they had to leave. He wondered if she had forgotten or if she was just suppressing it. It didn’t help that McCree hadn’t called in a week, her only source of reality that she was to eventually go back home.

Tonight was the night that the three of them would go to the ballet. The dancers were going to be performing a classic, _Swan Lake_ , which happened to be the same show Ashe watched on her last night in France as a child. She remembered not enjoying it, considering she was fussy from not being able to have said goodbye to Amélie. This time was different, now having the mermaid at her side.

Ashe groaned, hanging up the phone as the automated message played. “If that man ain’t dead I’m gonna kill him.”

B.O.B. was right behind her, brushing her white strands of hair as his mechanical eyelids angled with concern.

“He’s probably off gettin’ some and spendin’ the night at the fool’s house.” She told herself to overturn the apprehension.

The omnic picked up her hair, tying it into a low bun so it wouldn’t fall to her face. Only a few strands were loose, but he ensured they’d stay put with extra hairspray. She wasn’t a fan of having her hair tied, liking the freedom of having it loose without restraints. “I need to cut my hair someday. It’s too long.” He patted her shoulder comfortingly. “Yeah, yeah. _You_ need to cut it someday.” She leaned into the vanity table and hummed.

Amélie was in the guest bathroom getting ready herself and she was eager to know what the new dress she had bought her looked like. There wasn’t any doubt she would look good, but the curiosity was getting to her. She got up and looked at herself in the full body mirror, making sure her outfit was in order. A pink fur-trimmed coat, white dress pants with black heeled boots. Her outfit was styled with gold trimmings that shined in any light. It was something she hadn’t worn before, as the palette wasn’t too much to her liking.

She grinned at her own reflection. “Damn, I look good.”

Ashe picked up the white gloves from the vanity table and slipped them on her hands. As she looked at herself in the mirror one last time, B.O.B. carefully placed down a dull black organza hat on top of her head, making extra sure that he didn’t mess her hair up. She looked at the hat and smirked, gliding her fingers along the brim. “I felt like somethin’ was missin’. Thanks.”

All that was left was her pink clutch purse which she picked up from the vanity table and held underneath her arm. She sighed and walked towards the bedroom window, looking out into the ocean. B.O.B. watched and slowly approached her, rubbing circles on her back. He could see her sorrowful eyes through the glass’s reflection. She must’ve been realizing that she and Amélie didn’t have many days left together. Her look changed as she exhaled a sigh, keeping her look out the window.

“Go check if she needs anythin’.” She waved her hand at his direction.

He nodded and left the room and down the hall to the guest bathroom. His big metal finger gently tapped on the door, making it creak open. He leisurely peeked his head through to find Amélie sitting on edge of the bathtub, her hair and makeup done but only wearing her bathrobe. She looked like she was contemplating something until she noticed him and smiled lightly.

“Hello there.” She had a pained look in her eyes but was doing a good job at making sure her expression didn’t match. “Am I taking too long?”

B.O.B. closed his eyes and shook his head.

“I suppose I should put on my dress then,” she sighed. “ _Pathétique_.”

He opened the door halfway to look behind the door where the dress was suspended then back to her.

She laughed. “No, no. Not the dress. The dress is beautiful.”

B.O.B. walked in and sat beside her, patting her back.

“Can I tell you something?”

He nodded.

Amélie took in a deep breath and respired. “I know I should be happy tonight, but I feel this pain in my heart.”

He looked out the door to make sure Ashe wasn’t present. She had seemed upset before leaving her and didn’t want her to hear any more bad news. He looked back to Amélie and tilted his head to the side.

“I don’t want to go back to the ocean,” her amber eyes welled up with tears. “It’s so lonely and miserable in there. I want to stay here, with Élisabeth. She talks funny and makes me laugh, and even though she has only known me in such little time, she’s been so kind to me.”

B.O.B. couldn’t help but feel giddy at the way she spoke of her. The shy smile on her face and the change of color in her cheeks said it all.

She clasped her hands together and her brows curled inward. “You two have done so much for me, and I never got to return the favor. _Je suis désolé_.”

The omnic held a finger up, quickly getting up from the tub and into the guest room. Since the two women had been sharing the master bedroom, B.O.B. took over the room for his belongings. He scurried through his luggage, using his eyes to scan around the bag until he found what he needed. Happy, he pulled it out and immediately went back to the restroom. Amélie looked up to him, confusion on her face when she saw the item he was holding.

It was the golden wristwatch that came with him. Ever since he stopped being a butler to Ashe, he didn’t see the need to wear it anymore. However, he kept it just in case since it came with a lot of useful features and saw no reason to throw it away. She continued exchanging glances between him and the watch.

“What is that for?” She poked a finger to the jewelry’s band.

He accessed the menus, desperately going through the archives on his watch. The device constantly recorded if it was on, and he remembered a specific conversation he had with Ashe the last time they visited France. Once found the date he fast-forwarded and pressed play. The instantaneous sound of a young Ashe wailing played, making Amélie cover her ears. He panicked and fast-forward even more and played the sound again. It was quiet until the little cowgirl’s voice was heard. Amélie slowly uncovered her hears and listened to the watch in awe.

_B.O.B., can I tell ya somethin’?…I saw a mermaid at the beach today and she was ‘round my age._

She looked at B.O.B. as he handed her the watch. “Is this Élisabeth?” He nodded, a smile in his eyes. She got up from where she was seated and held the watch close to her ear.

 _She seemed sad, but she was so happy when I told her I’d come back for her…I don’t care if ya believe me or not. I just want you to promise me something…_ _Promise me that we can come back and see her?_

The tears that had built up in Amélie’s eyes gently rolled down her cheeks. Whatever amount of time she spent doing her makeup was ruined, but it was worth hearing her friend’s voice. The girl in the recording sounded exactly how she felt, a mixed tone of sadness and happiness. She turned around and handed the watch back to B.O.B., a smile on her lips.

“ _Merci!_ ”

He bowed his head then pointed at the mirror. She turned around and looked at her reflection, thin streams of black down her blushed cheeks. She couldn’t help but laugh at how messy she now looked, the omnic’s body shaking from laughter. He reached for the makeup she used and offered to reapply it to her.

Ashe sat patiently in the waiting room. Her gloved fingers tightly gripped onto the fabric of her pants. She felt so anxious about tonight, despite having been out with her this entire month. The thought of this being one of their last nights out was starting to make her feel lonely even though the night wasn’t over. Her legs shook in place as she awaited the two, wondering what was taking so long. As she stood up to go check on them, the sound of high heels against the marble tile grew closer.

She froze in place at Amélie’s sight. The purple gown she’d picked out complimented her tall figure and stopped a few inches below her knees. The halter straps and neckline exposed a lot of her chest, flaunting off one of the gold necklaces Ashe had let her borrow. Her high heels were simple, yet elegant and matched the dress in color. Her makeup looked as though it was done professionally. Her hair was picked up in a stylishly loose high bun, keeping her face clear of her hair and showing off her cheekbones. Ashe’s cheeks turned to a dark shade of red, all her doubts and negativity leaving her body the moment the beautiful woman walked in the room.

She was blushing as well as her eyes wandered Ashe’s body. “You look beautiful. _Tres belle_.”

“I should be the one sayin’ that.” She smiled dopily. “So, I will. _Tu es superbe ce soir. Sucre_.*”

Amélie’s blush spread across her face, nervously giggling into her hand. “You’ve been practicing.”

“Maybe a little. How was that?”

She laughed maliciously. “I’ve heard better from B.O.B.”

“I’m gonna get you for that,” They both laughed until Ashe glanced to the big omnic that stood behind her. “B.O.B., what the hell were you doin’? Why aren’t ya dressed?”

B.O.B. shook his head, making her raise a brow.

“What do you mean ‘no’? You’re not going?”

He shook his head again.

She squinted her eyes at him. “Got other plans or somethin’? I thought ya loved the theatre.”

The omnic nodded and stretched out his arms, pretending to be tired. As she was about to continue investigating his suspicious behavior, the suite’s phone rang. She darted to the phone and answered.

“Ya better have one good hell of a reason for not answerin’ my calls for a whole damn week ya Goddamn, no good piece of-”

The man’s voice cleared on the phone. “Uh, _Mlle Ashe_?”

“Oh.” She rolled her eyes at realizing it was the concierge downstairs. “What do ya want?”

He sounded more nervous the more he talked. “Well, the limo is here to pick you up.”

“We’ll be right down there.” She abruptly hung up and set the phone down. “What was I sayin’?”

B.O.B. walked Amélie over to Ashe, locking their arms together. Amélie couldn’t help but to sneak her hand onto the other woman’s fur collar and pet its fuzzy texture. He practically pushed them out of the room and waved them goodbye.

“Slow down, B.O.B.! You sure you’re not comin’?”

He shook his head one last time, giving her a wink.

Ashe blushed as she looked at Amélie, smiled, then back to him. “Alrighty then. Suppose we’ll be back in a little over two hours.”

“ _À bientôt, B.O.B.!_ ” She waved goodbye to him as well.

Right when he shut the door, the two women made their way down the hall, into the elevator, and to the first floor. The driver was there as they expected, waiting outside of the vehicle to enter them into the car. Even while sitting in the spacious limousine they kept their arms locked, sitting closely together while having some small talk and exchanging laughs.

“I’m so excited for the ballet tonight.” Her hand trailed down Ashe’s arm as she smiled. “I would see so many posters of the dancers and they looked so beautiful.”

She reminisced her time at the ballet as a young girl. “To be honest with ya, last time I saw a ballet here I was kind of miserable, so I won’t promise that it’ll be that great.”

“It doesn’t matter if I like it or not.” She latched onto Ashe’s hand. “I’m getting to spend time with you. I can’t imagine doing this with anyone else.”

The cowgirl’s hand’s trembled lightly underneath her touch. “Honestly, me neither. I mean, I guess B.O.B., or Jesse if I was drunk enough. Between you and me, I think there’s a little too many men in my life.”

“Is that so? Do you need more women?”

She hummed. “Nah. You’re all the woman I need. Even if you are a fish.”

“How rude, I told you fish is what we eat for dinner!” Her brows furrowed.

Ashe snorted out her laughter, making Amélie roll her eyes and giggle. “Told you I’d get back at you for makin’ fun of my French.”

“I was only joking, _chéri_. Your French was, hmm, above average.”

“Then I ain’t gonna share with you what other words I picked up on.” She playfully looked out the window, pretending to be offended.

Amélie faked a sigh. “No! How else will I make fun of you?”

They continued to laugh and exchange banter until the vehicle stopped. “ _Nous sommes arrivés._ ” The chauffer announced. “We have arrived.”

“You ready?” Ashe asked her, wanting another excuse to look into her eyes.

She nodded. “ _Oui_ ”

The pair exited the vehicle, Ashe wanting to let themselves out instead of having the driver do it. She scanned the area and looked around at all the guests (mostly tourists) socializing both in and out of the theater. Tonight’s show was free, but it didn’t stop anyone from dressing extra fancy. It wasn’t the same theater she had gone to as a child since it was in Paris, but this one was just as nice. As much as she wanted to wow her, if she had to take another train around, she was going to lose it. They carefully walked up the steps to get inside, Amélie gripping onto Ashe tightly. She was still very new to high heels and only wore them once to try them on. Ashe didn’t seem to mind, of course, and made sure to keep their bodies close.

Although the show was free to watch, they still needed to check-in and receive their assigned seating. After getting their seat numbers from the counter they stepped into the hall and took their seats, a few rows away from the stage. The orchestra performed their warmups for a few minutes until the lights went dark, only the stage being lit in soft lighting. Amélie unhooked from Ashe’s arm and the two unknowingly rested their arms on the same armrest, bumping them together. Ashe built up her breath and held onto her hand, interlocking their fingers together. The other looked at their hands and secured their grip, resting their linked hands on the armrest.

The show began and the two were immediately engrossed, eyes focused on the stage as the dancers appeared. Amélie was instantly mesmerized by them, in awe at their fluid movement and dancing. Their performance with the accompanying music made her chest swell with this unknown feeling. As the story progressed, she felt somewhat of a connection with Odette’s character, able to relate to her sorrows. Even Ashe was invested into the story, unable to keep her eyes off the stage. The only times she looked away was to see Amélie’s reaction, making sure she was enjoying herself. During the two intermissions, they would talk about the show, Amélie gushing about how much she was entranced by everything it had to offer. Seeing her this happy made Ashe overwhelm with happiness, but a hint of sadness knowing she wouldn’t be able to take her again. It didn’t affect her mood, however, and she just continued to enjoy the rest of the performance with her date.

At the end of the show, the theatre and stage turned to black. The audience immediately gave a standing ovation. The two ladies stood up and clapped as well, the stage lighting up once again to show the entire cast giving their bows and curtsies. Once they left, everyone decided to leave the theater and go outside to socialize and head home. There was an extra spring in Amélie’s step as they walked out the theater, putting a smile on Ashe’s face.

“I’m guessin’ you really liked the show,” Ashe teased.

“Oh, it was wonderful! The music, the story, the dancing.” She blushed heavily and looked away. “I wish I could do that.”

“Ballet?”

“ _Oui!_ I don’t know why but watching them do it made me want to go up on stage and join them. Is that stupid?”

“Sugar, nothin’ you say, or think, is stupid.” She stopped in her steps and lifted her hand up. “Why don’t you do a lil twirl?”

Amélie laughed and did as she asked, doing a spin on her heel. She lost balance and bumped into one of the other guests at the theater. The man turned around and caught her, gently lifting her hands up to raise her. She blushed from embarrassment and excused herself in French. The stranger and her looked at each other’s faces, scanning one another’s features. The stranger was good-looking with his combed hair and thin mustache. Ashe looked at them, already a pit of jealousy growing inside of her. Was it too much to ask for one date without some random man interrupting them?

“Gérard?” Amélie finally spoke. “ _Est-ce vous?_ **” She briefly planted her hands on his shoulders and kissed both sides of his cheeks, him doing the same.

Gérard nodded and chuckled. “ _C'est moi, Amélie. Ça fait longtemps depuis la dernière fois qu'on š'est vu_.” He casually eyed her from head to toe. “ _Tu es magnifique. Êtes-vous venu seul ici?***_ ”

“No,” she smiled and reached out for Ashe’s hand, bringing her closer to them. “This is Élisabeth. She’s been the one to show me all of France.”

He was about to reach for Ashe’s free hand, but she tucked it behind her back. “You can just call me Ashe.”

“Ashe, hm.” He eyed her as well but not with the same intensity as he did with Amélie. “It’s very nice to meet you.”

He was polite compared to the last person that interrupted their date, but she wasn’t in the mood to stay and talk with him for a minute longer. “Yeah, same here.” His attention immediately switched back to Amélie.

“I almost thought you were dead. You disappeared and never came back.”

“ _Je connais_.” He presented the environment around them. “I came here to start a new life, by myself. I didn’t have a beautiful woman to show me around, such as you do.”

Ashe almost upchucked in her mouth while the woman laughed in his face. “It sounds like you missed out, then.” Amélie countered.

Gérard laughed a bit nervously and focused his gaze on her. “I don’t know if its fate that has brought us here tonight, but I’m glad I ran into you tonight. We should spend time together. _Peut-être dîner ce soir?_ ****”

 _Fate my ass._ Ashe had to keep her temper controlled. Amélie could do whatever she wanted, and nobody had the right to take that away from her. Still, this random handsome stranger coming in and attempting to sweep her off her feet made her blood boil. Her heart sank to her stomach when she felt Amélie’s hand release from hers and reach for the man’s.

“Gérard,” She looked at him with her heavenly amber eyes and sighed. “ _Peut-être dans une autre vie. En ce moment je vis mien avec elle_.”

He deeply exhaled and nodded, glancing a quick look at the American. “I see. I understand and I wish you the best.” He gave a bow to them both and waved his hand goodbye, a humble smile on his face. “ _Prends soin de vous, mesdames._ ”

“ _Au revoir Gérard._ ” Amélie waved goodbye and retrieved Ashe’s hand back.

Ashe tipped her hat to him with an accomplished grin on her face. “ _Adiós_.”

They stepped away from the theater and found their limo driver parked on the street, awaiting them. Ashe held the door open for her, getting in after her. The car ride back to the hotel was quiet as they both contemplated over what had happened after the show. Ashe didn’t get to officially find out who the stranger was but could only assume he was just like her. Someone who lived their life in the ocean’s depths. She turned to her, about to ask for more information, but instead just looked at her. Amélie felt her staring and turned her head towards her. Neither of them said anything, only passing stares into each other’s eyes.

They arrived at the hotel and made it upstairs to their suite as quickly as possible. Once they were alone in the elevator, Amélie took off her heels and sighed in relief. Ashe laughed while watching her grip onto her foot.

“I’ve never thought I’d say this, but my feet are killing me.” The mermaid grumbled.

Ashe kicked her heel on the elevator’s wall and nodded. “Mine too. Starvin’ too.”

“Me too,” she rubbed at her rumbling belly as they both giggled.

The elevator door opened and they both walked down the hallway in front of their door. Ashe stopped and sniffed the air. “You smell that?”

Amélie did the same thing, taking a deep whiff of the air. “It smells like food.”

Out of nowhere, the room door opened. Before them stood an omnic Ashe hadn’t seen in years. B.O.B. was fully dressed in his butler uniform, monocle and all. The only difference was that he still had mutton chops, but it didn’t throw off the look. He had a happy expression on his face, making Ashe squint her eyes at him.

“B.O.B., why the hell are you wearin’ that? And what’s that smell?” The room was completely dark as she tried to peek inside.

He motioned for them to follow him. The ladies exchanged confused glances but followed him as requested. He led them out to the balcony, revealing a candle-lit dinner for two. A small round cloaked table with plates, utensils and empty wine glasses. Ashe removed her hat and clenched it to her chest, taking in the setup. The butler reached his hand out before her, signaling that he’d take her hat for her. He did the same to Amélie as she was holding onto her heels, taking the items inside.

“Did you know about this?” Amélie asked as Ashe pulled out one of the seats for her.

She took her own seat and scooted closer to the table. “No idea. I haven’t seen him wear that in years.”

Amélie looked out at the ocean view and immediately redirected her focus to Ashe. She took note of her brief glance and mentally agreed that it was best not to look. The warm glow from the candle and the distant sound of the café from next door’s music playing made Ashe think of her first night here. Not with her parents, but when it was just her and Amélie leaving the beach. She blushed, letting the scene replay in her head. It was still hard to believe that it was almost a month ago. She slid off her gloves and rested them on her lap as she and Amélie continued to share looks.

B.O.B. returned with his hands behind his back. “What ya got there, waiter?”

He held up a bottle of red wine and Ashe’s face immediately turned scarlet. It was the bottle she had bought the night they arrived that they never got to open. It was supposed to be Amélie’s first taste of wine, but she had already tried some at various restaurants throughout the month. There wasn’t anything special about it anymore and she felt extremely embarrassed the moment her eyes met the label.

“Is that wine?” Amélie asked as she examined its label.

She stared daggers into B.O.B. and huffed. “Yeah, I bought it when I got here but we don’t have to have it now.”

“Why not? I want some.” She insisted, making Ashe’s cheeks deepen in color.

“Well, it’s just kind of strong and I’m not sure you’d like it.”

Amélie laughed. “If you bought it, I’m sure I’ll like it.”

Ashe gave in, unable to say no to her. “Fine, fine.”

B.O.B. closed his eyes with happiness. He poured them each a glass then stepped back inside, only to return shortly while holding two small plates of green salad, setting them down on the table before each of them.

“ _Merci_.”

“Thanks.”

They simultaneously began to eat their entrée. Since the salad was small and the two were starving, they ate it rather quickly. Although it was just something B.O.B. had prepared and the recipe was simple, it felt refreshing to eat. She couldn’t help but wonder how long, or fast, it took him to set this up. It seemed so last minute but she knew exactly what he was doing. She smiled coyly as she took a sip from her glass. Her eyes met Amélie’s once more, deciding to use the silence to ask what’s been on her mind for the past hour now.

“So,” She swirled her finger against the rim of the glass, afraid of what her answer was going to be. “Who was the guy you talked to outside the theater?”

Amélie analyzed Ashe’s body language and snickered to herself. “Gérard? Just a friend from back home.”

“Oh,” She blushed, calling herself an idiot over and over in her head. “He seemed interested in you, is all.”

She tilted her head to the side. “Interested? How do you mean?”

“You know.” She took another much-needed sip of wine before speaking. “Like he wanted to take ya back to his place and ‘catch up’.”

Amélie’s honeyed eyes blinked and then she sputtered a laugh. “I won’t lie, Gérard’s very handsome and I was a little curious on how he’s been. When we were younger, he asked me to leave with him once we turned sixteen. Maybe in another life we could’ve been together, but I like the one I’m living right now. With you.”

“ _Sixteen?_ ” Ashe repeated. “That’s two years earlier than what I promised ya. You could’ve left sooner.”

She simply shrugged. “You’re right. I could’ve left much younger and start a new life with him. Yet it’s not like every day a pretty girl promises to show you around France.”

Ashe felt her heart pounding again. The woman sitting before her gave up having a completely different life just for a promise she had made to her. There was no way a month of freedom was worth more than a lifetime. Before she could even muster a word, B.O.B. brought out the main dish, two _sole meunières_. The smell of fish and lemon filled the air between them, making Amélie’s eyes shine.

“Fish is so much better cooked. Thank you, it looks delicious!”

Ashe wanted to keep talking but could easily tell that she was eager to dig into her dish. They ate silently, making Amélie concerned. She wondered if what she had said sounded weird or unnatural to her. As happy as Ashe was to know that Amélie took priority over her, she felt guilty for once in her life. The pained look in her eyes was beginning to get obvious the deeper in thought she was.

Amélie ate the last of her salmon and set her fork down. “Élisabeth, are you okay?”

Ashe wiped her mouth clean and threw her napkin down on the table. She got up from her seat, her white gloves sliding off of her lap as she did so, and leaned against the balcony’s railing. Amélie got up from her seat as well and rested beside her. “I’m just confused is all.”

“About what?”

“About what ya said to me,” she kept any eye contact away from her. “I feel like I ruined your life. Ya could’ve been established here already with that guy and lived the rest of your life here or wherever you wanted to go.”

“What about you? You gave me a month worth of your time and you could’ve been doing something else.”

Ashe sighed. “Sugar, I could be dead or in prison right now if I weren’t here.”

“But here we are,” Amélie took hold of Ashe’s hands. “How could I live my life with someone while thinking about someone else? If I had stayed with him, I would’ve never stopped thinking about you and what time we would’ve spent together.”

The sureness in her voice made Ashe’s red eyes dampen. “Was I really worth leaving that kind of life behind?”

“ _Fille naïve._ ” She leaned a little closer to her, the points of their noses almost touching. “Even if it was only for a day, I’d still say it was worth it.”

A single tear fled Ashe’s eye and slithered down her cheek as she pursed her lips. “This hurts.”

“I know, I’m sorry.” She palmed the side of Ashe’s face and used her thumb to wipe her tear away, tears of her own building up and sliding down her cheek. “I’m sorry.”

Ashe cupped her hands to her cheeks, smearing away her tears as well. “That’s why I wanna stay here. With you.”

“What?” Amélie’s eyes widened in shock. “What about your family? Mickey? Your life?”

She laughed, more tears falling down her face. “It’s _McCree_. And he’s grown, considerin’ he isn’t answerin’ my calls. My parents sure as hell won’t care and I wasn’t living much of a life before comin’ here.” One of her hands instinctively slid towards the back of her neck. “All I did was cause trouble and rope my best friends into it. Here I could start over and figure out what to do with myself. I just can’t leave knowin’ you’re going to live the rest of your life alone in the ocean.”

“Élisabeth,” Amélie momentarily looked at the ocean view and back to Ashe. “Why?”

She inched closer to her face, reddening Amélie’s cheeks. “ _Je t'aime._ ”

“I love you too.” She closed her eyes and pressed united their lips together.

Ashe’s fingers massaged the back of Amélie’s hair and moved her other hand down to her waist, pulling her closer to her. Her body relaxed as they kissed, hero own eyes closing. There were so many opportunities and situations they were in where she wanted to just go for it and kiss her but pulled back from doing so. It only would’ve made their departure so much more heart wrenching, but now, she was finally able to relax. Amélie pulled back, her glossy yellow eyes looked into Ashe’s.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” She asked before letting her hopes reach too high.

She nodded. “Now _you’re_ askin’ if you’re worth it. Of course you are. I want to see the kind of lives we could have together.”

“Oh, Élisabeth.” She went in for a tight embrace and her face was still wet with tears. “I mostly told Gérard what I said to see the jealous look on his face, but now I’m actually going to have an entire life with you.”

Ashe moved her other hand down to Amélie’s waist, now holding her on both sides. “Ya said that to him to make him jealous? What a bitch.”

“You’re a bitch,” they laughed and pecked their lips once more.

She looked around at their empty plates and half-filled glasses of wine. “Why don’t we bring our drinks inside and talk more about this?”

“Okay,” she agreed and grabbed for both of their glasses.

Ashe opened the balcony door for her and they walked inside the suite. Only the living room lamp was on where the big omnic butler stood, holding a box of chocolates and dry oil stained on his cheeks. She took the box out of his hands, realizing it was the same one she bought on their first night.

“Good call cause we’re celebratin’.”

He excitedly clapped his big metal hands together.

“We’re gonna talk about it some more, but we’re movin’ here. You and I both know that I don’t have a life back home and I think I can start a new one here.”

His hands stopped clapping, instead moving to his chest where his heart would be. He walked closer to her and hugger her tightly, squeezing her body. Her cheeks flushed, not used to him behaving this way, at least throughout her teenage years. She held the box of sweets in one hand and returned his embrace with the other, patting his back once she was done.

“Alright, alright. We’ll be in our room.”

He nodded his head and let her walk past him. Amélie simply smiled at him and tiptoed to kiss his cheek. She followed Ashe to the room and closed the door behind them. Ashe stripped off most of her clothing and released her hair from its bun. She fell onto the bed and sighed in relief, glad to be rid of all the layers of clothing. Amélie laughed at her demeanor and set the wine glasses down at the nightstand and settling herself on the bed as well. Ashe opened the box of chocolates, its scent lingering throughout the room.

“The point was to eat these with the wine so it wouldn’t taste so strong, but I guess this is our dessert for the night.” She popped a dark chocolate cube in her mouth as she reached out her hand so Amélie could give her drink.

She did the same, only she sipped the wine first and then ate one of the chocolates. “It’s delicious!”

“Knew you’d like it,” she winked.

She ate another one, drinking more wine from her glass. “I know you and your parents don’t get along, but are you even going to tell them that you’re leaving?”

“No, I’ll tell them,” she sighed. “I just know they’re gonna judge me for my decisions and I’m not really ready for that.”

Amélie wasn’t sure what to say and stayed quiet for a moment. “What if I was there while you spoke to them?”

“I would very much love that.” She leaned in to kiss her, loving that she was able to do it now. “But I’d understand if being around them for too long would make you want to leave.”

She rested her hand over Ashe’s. “I’ll go through hell for you if it means you won’t go alone.”

“That’s awfully sweet for someone who just learned what the concept of hell was last week.” She teased then took another sip of her wine, finishing what was left in the glass.

Amélie concentrated on her words before speaking. “What about your friend? I know he’s someone who means a lot to you.”

“He ain’t.” Ashe put it bluntly, but they both knew she was lying through her teeth. “That idiot hasn’t answered or called me this whole week. He obviously doesn’t care about me and is too busy gettin’ his pecker sucked or whatever.”

She rested her head on her hand and propped it on her leg, hunched forward and mumbling incoherently to herself. Amélie set her glass down on the nightstand along with the box of chocolates. She crawled closer to Ashe and wrapped an arm around her and brushed her fingers along her bare arms, feeling the goosebumps rise on her soft skin. Ashe immediately soothed into her touch as she always did, having never feeling this kind of sweet comfort from anyone else.

“I know you don’t think that, _ma chérie_.” She nestled her face in the crook of her neck and sneaked a kiss to it. “Are you worried about him?”

“No.” She blushed from her closeness and sighed. “Yes! He promised he’d keep in touch with me and then just disappears. I’d be so angry if he went and did somethin’ stupid.”

She kissed her once more and stroked her white hair, doing as best as she could to comfort her. “From what you’ve told me; he seems like he can take care of himself. Maybe he’s having fun somewhere or he’s lonely and needed some company.”

“Yeah, you’re right. It’s not like he’s surrounded by people.” Ashe turned her head and kissed her cheek, trailing more kisses across her face before finally reaching her lips. “Thanks. I needed that.”

Amélie blushed, her own skin rising from the other’s touch as her legs shifted around. “You’re welcome.”

“I know you’re tryin’ to make me feel better, but with the dim lighting, chocolate and wine, and the way you’re caressing me. I can’t help but feel a little riled up right now.”

A rush of heat traveled throughout Amélie’s body from her vocal expression. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t know if you’ve ever felt it, at least this month, but around ya I get sort of excited.” Ashe blushed, never really having to explain arousal to anyone before. “Not just because I’m happy to be with you. The excitement kind of happens… _down there_.”

They each looked down at their own crotch and blushed. “I think I understand. It’s like a tingling.”

“Yeah, exactly like that.” She impulsively moved her head forward and kissed her lips softly for a few seconds. “How long have you been feelin’ like that?”

Amélie looked at her with an impish grin on her face. “I think when we started sharing the same bed.”

“That was day one, sugar.”

“I know.”

She kissed her back and combed her fingers through the strands of white hair. Ashe clasped her hands on the sides of Amélie’s face. One of her hands sneaked to the back of her bun and released her noire hair, massing her fingers through it until laid across her back. Amélie unzipped the back of her dress as far as her hands could reach. Ashe took note and finished the job for her, removing the thick straps off her shoulders and exposing her chest. Amélie retracted from their kiss and removed her dress completely, flinging it off the bed. Without hesitation she made their lips meet again. Ashe leaned her body against hers and savored in the skin-to-skin contact. They both slowly laid flat onto the bed, Amélie’s back against the silk sheets while Ashe laid on top of her. They drowned each other in kisses for the rest of the night, figuring each other’s body’s out and putting what they learned into play.

 

* * *

 

 

Translations (finally lol)

* You look beautiful tonight. Sugar.

** Is that you?

*** It is me, Amélie. It's a long time since we last saw each other./ You look gorgeous. Did you come here alone?

**** Maybe dinner tonight?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes, i don't know how to title my chapters, you got me!


	6. Decisions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the long wait! I'm even more sorry for what you're about to read. This chapter is a little bit different from the others....

To say that you were getting bored at a place filled with people dancing, drinking, and socializing with one another may sound like you expect too much from a nightclub. Honestly, this wasn’t a scene for a somewhat old-fashioned wannabe cowboy gangster. Not even close. What else could a barely legal teenager decide to do with a new fat wallet and zero time on his hands? Hitting up run down bars and playing pool by yourself with a glass of whiskey or bourbon in hand every other night gets boring after a while. His closest thing to family was millions of miles away on foreign land and he wasn’t exactly thriving with friends. Tonight alone at least five different men and women approached McCree, attempting to initiate some sort of conversation. As attractive as they all were, he didn’t find any of them to be that interesting, and even though he came here with the intent to take _someone_ home, he just wasn’t feeling it. At least not yet.

Distant chatter of multiple loud conversations mixed with the blaring music was getting him closer to a headache than a night of fun with anyone. His tired eyes scanned the room one last time as he took a long drag out of his second cigarette of the night. He had picked out a small corner booth that lingered in the darker area of the nightclub to have a better visual of the place. Even when he was out trying to have a good time, he stayed on his toes. He sighed and pressed the cigarette onto the marble ash tray enjoying a few more sips of his whiskey.

Just as he was about to leave, he looked up from beneath the brim of his hat, eyes meeting with a stranger’s.

“Hey,” the woman spoke. Her voice stood out over the loud music. He looked up to find a green skeleton looming over the table until he realized it was just luminescent body paint. He stiffened for a moment until relaxing into his seat again. “Going somewhere?”

McCree eyed her and shrugged. “Was about to. You need this booth or somethin’?”

“I need a drink,” her eyes wandered down to his drink as she smirked. “What’re you having?”

He slightly raised the glass from its brim and swiveled the fluid around. “Just some red-eye.”

“Can I try some?” She asked, though her tone was more demanding.

If it were anyone else, he would’ve shrugged them off and told them to get their own, but this mysterious stranger made an impression on him. He was intrigued, to say the least. “Help yourself.” He said while setting the glass down before her.

“Thanks.” She smiled and imbibed the last of the whiskey. “ _Ah,_ ” she cleared her throat.

He had watched as she downed the rest of his drink. He noticed some wiring running down her hand and fingers, figuring it was some sort of cybernetic augmentation. Her black lipstick stained the glass once the glass was no longer touching her mouth. “If ya like it I can ask the bartender to serve me another one.”

“Nah, I shouldn’t drink too much tonight.” She looked back to the dancefloor and swayed along with the music. “So, you said you’re leaving now? But you’re going to miss karaoke.” She said sarcastically.

He snickered and shook his head. “I ain’t drunk enough for that.”

“Cowboy like you doesn’t want to go up there and sing about how your wife left you?” She teased, mocking his accent.

McCree winced but let out another earnest chuckle. “Can tell ya ain’t from around here.” He continued looking her way, mesmerized by her appearance. Aside from the strange body paint, everything else about her looks were foreign to him. Her pink spiked mohawk to her odd yet interesting black clothing. It was hard for him to tell if she was wearing a skirt or if she had some weird-shaped jacket wrapped around her waist.

“I’m not.” She admitted, changing her focus to her pink nails then back to him. “It’s my first time here.”

She seemed to be dressed for some type of rave rather than a nightclub, but who was he to judge. It’s not like he was up to date with fashion, given his choice of clothing. It was something Ashe complained about to him, but he didn’t find it necessary. He mostly bought the bowler hat to shut her up for a few weeks.

He didn’t want to interrogate her and drive her away, maybe finally have founding something to do tonight. Though, he couldn’t help but be curious about who she was or where she came from. “This is my first time at this place, too. Ain’t really my scene if I gotta be honest.”

“That’s too bad,” she sighed sweetly. “I can probably stay here and dance for a while.”

His eyes darted to the dance floor, visioning her dancing amongst the crowd of people. “You should. Don’t let me keep ya.”

“Why don’t you join me?” There was wickedness in her smile, but he’d be a liar if he said he wasn’t into it.

The people he spotted dancing were either drunk beyond belief or couples grinding against each other. As much as he wouldn’t mind getting that physical with her, dancing amongst a mob that big didn’t sit well with him.

“I think I’ll pass. Ain’t too fond of big crowds like that.”

She sighed, though she didn’t seem disappointed in his response. “Alright. What do _you_ wanna do?”

He was taken back from her question. Were they hanging out now? Not that he minded having a beautiful stranger at his side, at least for a night. She was forward, something he could respect. No awkwardness or beating around the bush. Just straight to the point.

“I don’t remember agreeing to spendin’ time together, darlin’.” He smirked.

She rolled her eyes while maintaining her same sinister smile. “Come on, you’re here by yourself. Isn’t there something you want to do. I’m guessing you don’t get out much since you don’t have any friends.”

“Easy there, I have friends.” His arms crossed. “They’re all just out of town.”

She scooted herself closer to him in the booth, almost cornering him. “Then let’s go do something. Something you can’t do with your ‘friends’.”

“I,” The heat of her skin getting closer to him caused him to blush and make the hairs on his arms rise. He was used to being the one making all the moves, but maybe role reversal is what he needed tonight. “I know a place.” As nervous as he was deep down, he kept his confidence intact.

“Alright.” He scooted out of the booth, about to take the lead until the stranger did.

Instead, she gripped onto his wrist and dragged him out of the booth, almost making him knock the glasses off the table. “ _Vamonos_.”

On a typical night, McCree would’ve snatched his arm away, but instead his body stiffened. The stranger had some sort of rush in her eyes. It was a warning sign for him, but damn was he bored. The other members of their gang had gone off to do their own thing, leaving him alone to do his own bidding. He was in dire need of stimulation that his adolescent mind was constantly craving. He knew this might’ve been trouble and this random person trying to isolate him could potentially kill him. It may have been spontaneous, and possibly dangerous, but he was desperate for change at this point.

She practically rushed him out of the club and into the parking lot. He looked around, only parked cars amongst them. There was a slight feeling he was being watched, but it went away once he got a better look at the woman. She stood beneath a streetlamp, the glow of her skeletal paint no longer visible and almost blending into her skin. Once he was able to get a better visual of her features, she managed to look even more beautiful to him.

“Where’d you park?” She asked, looking around the lot.

He smirked and approached her cautiously. “We don’t need the car.”

“I’m going to slap you if you make me walk more than I need to.”

He laughed and pointed across the street to some saloon-style building. It was faint, but you could hear the country music stemming from it. Her nose scrunched as she looked at him, softly pressing her hand to his cheek to give it a light slap. “I’m starting to regret this.”

“Well, ya left things up to me. It’ll be fun, I promise ya.”

It was his turn to lead, getting a hold of her hand and running down the street, into the joint. There were people line dancing, sharing drinks at the bar, and just casually socializing at their own tables. The lighting was a soft yellow, and the country décor made McCree feel at home. He couldn’t say the same for the stranger, as she looked around in confusion. She received similar stares in return, being she stood out like a sore thumb. He looked at the free plastic cowboy hats and set a pink one down on her head, adjusting the elastic string under her chin.

“There ya go.”

She tugged at the elastic and winced when it slapped her chin. “Thanks, _pendejo_.”

“ _De nada_.” He looked at the people dancing and smiled. “Ya like dancin’, right?”

She took another look at them and he swore her eyes gagged. “Yeah, but now _I’m_ not drunk enough for this shit.”

“A sweetheart like you shouldn’t be actin’ so sour,” he guided her to a part of the dancefloor where there weren’t any people. “I’ll teach ya.”

She sighed. “Fine.”

McCree rested a hand on her shoulder and used the other one to grab hold of her hand, guiding her along to the rhythm of the song. Three steps forward, twirling her smaller body around in circles as he took three steps back, legs crossing over the other as they danced side-by-side. It was extremely awkward for the mystery woman at first, but, to his surprise, she was trying to get the hang of it. She’d purposely step on his leather boots each time he chuckled at her mistakes but they both knew it was all in good fun. He could tell she naturally enjoyed dancing as her body found its way around the music. McCree took the opportunity to softly sing along to the vocals with his lowly voice.

“I thought you didn’t sing,” she teased as he gave her another twirl.

“And here I thought you knew how to dance.”

Her violet eyes glared at him, but he managed to make her snort out a laugh. “I think I’m doing pretty good considering I’m working with some _abuelo_ music.”

As a few more songs passed they both were getting used to each other’s movements and were able to dance together perfectly. It was as though he had forgotten who he was now and just enjoyed it for what it was. Was it strange that this random person whose name he didn’t even know swept him off his feet? Definitely. Did he care? Hell no. As far as he was concerned, he was having the time of his life.

The pair stopped to catch their breath, McCree’s hands resting on her hips as her arms wrapped snugged around his neck. “You hungry? I know a place we can eat.”

“If you set up a campfire and bake some _frijoles_ , I’m ditching you.”

“You’re no fun.”

They returned to the nightclub’s parking lot, McCree making his way to the black truck. It technically wasn’t his, but it’s been his only mode of transportation ever since Ashe left for France. He opened the passenger’s door for her and escorted her inside the truck. He entered the vehicle himself and his eyes immediately darted to the glovebox. As the nightclub didn’t allow for any weapons, he kept his revolver locked inside. His glance changed, the woman looking around the vehicle’s interior as well. He took a steady breath and turned the car on, the time displaying on dashboard’s screen. It was passed midnight.

“Shoot,” he muttered.

She scrunched her nose. “Forget how to drive?”

“I forgot to call someone.” He pulled up a call history, all going out to the same person. “I should do that real quick.”

As he attempted to call Ashe, the screen began to glitch out. The text began to distort, and he couldn’t figure out what was wrong with it. Frustrated, he smacked the top of the dashboard to try to clear up the interface, though it obviously didn’t work. A strange shape flashed between glitches, though he couldn’t make it out. He groaned as the woman watched him struggle.

“You okay there?” She asked.

He set the car to reverse and carefully pulled out of the lot. “Damn thing is jammed or somethin’.”

“Just call tomorrow if it’s not that important.”

He shrugged and agreed with her. He had been calling Ashe to check up on her every night since she left. Well, it was more like her way of checking up on him. He figured if she was that concerned about him, she’d give him a call herself. Tonight was just going to be about him and this new stranger.

“So where are you taking me, _ranchero?_ ”

“There’s this diner I like goin’ to, but I don’t get to go often. Figured we could go and get a bite from there.”

“I’m not really in the mood for roadkill.”

“It ain’t like that. Just thought it’d be nice to show ya around since you’re new and all.”

She shook her head and smiled. “This is starting to feel like a blind date.”

“To be fair, you started it. I’m simply going along with it. Don’t know why you decided to pick me of all people, but I’m truly flattered.”

“I don’t know,” she shrugged in her seat. “Just looked like you needed it. I didn’t think it’d be line dancing, to be honest.”

He laughed. “I haven’t been able to do that in years. Sorry if it made ya uncomfortable, but I had a damn good time. You picked it up quickly, too, I was impressed.”

“You’re embarrassing me,” she blushed while rolling her eyes, as she did when he made witty remarks. “I just wasn’t expecting to be doing that tonight.”

“What were you expecting?”

“Still dancing,” she hummed. “Just…differently.”

He felt a rush of heat reach his cheeks when she spoked her words. “How long are you in town for?”

“Just for tonight.” She said with a faint sigh in her voice.

His heart sank a little, but he wielded a smirk. “Forget the diner then. It ain’t worth the time.”

She didn’t say anything or ask any questions, knowing full well what he meant. His intentions were clear to her and somehow had a mutual understanding of it. As much as he wanted whatever this encounter was to last, he didn’t want to take her to some run-down diner just to feed his nostalgia. Instead he wanted to live in the now and get to know every bit of her as possible before she had to leave.

It was a fifteen-minute drive, but they eventually reached Ashe’s manor. The stranger’s eyes widened in awe and looked back to McCree as if she were mentally trying to piece together how he was able to afford to live in a place like that. He pulled up to the driveway and parked the truck, making himself get out of the vehicle as quickly as possible to get the door for her. She stepped off the truck while he guided her hand. He gently held it and walked her to the door, using his free hand to punch in the code to get in. Once the door opened, he held it for her so she could step inside.

“This is a pretty nice place.” She circled around the wide hallway that led to the living room. “Are you sure we didn’t just break in?”

He chuckled and took off his hat to set down on the rack. “No, a friend of mine actually owns this place. I’m looking after it while she’s gone.”

“Ah,” she made herself comfortable on the white leather couch, where she had a nice view of the fake fireplace which was just a screen with a moving image of flames. “So, this is your girlfriend’s house and she left you all alone. How sad.”

He sat alongside her, the expensive material of the furniture feeling good against his back. “Wrong again. Got no girlfriend, boyfriend, or any significant other.”

“Looks like I lucked out then.” Her body slid closer to him until the tip of their noses began to touch.

His smile cracked as he took off the pink plastic hat she still had on from when they went dancing. “It ain’t polite keeping your hat on indoors.”

“ _¿Y no me dijiste nada?_ ” She faked an angered voice. “ _Mira, cabrón_.”

They both laughed until he rested a hand on her waist and used the other to take hold of her chin. “ _No te pongas así, bella._ ”

“ _Eres algo raro, McCree._ ”

They both leaned in simultaneously for their lips to meet. He reveled in every aspect of it, from the softness of her lips in contrast to his, her hands sneaking their way to his thigh, and the way she had just said his name. He hadn’t heard her say it their entire night out and it honestly made his heart skip a few beats. His brain replayed the sound over and over until his brows slightly furrowed. He hadn’t even recalled giving her his name, yet here she was saying it. The more they kissed, the more his head began to spin until he finally decided to break free, causing their eyes to meet once more.

“What’s wrong?” She asked in a silky tone.

“It’s just, I don’t recall even getting’ your name. And I definitely don’t recall handin’ you mine.”

She sighed and pinched her fingers between her brows. “There goes the mood. I know, you didn’t give me your name because you didn’t have to.”

“What are you talkin’ about?” He slowly distanced himself from her. “Who the hell are you?”

She smirked. “You can just call me Sombra.”

His brows furrowed further. “What, were you plannin’ on robbin’ me dry? Like I said, this ain’t my house so I won’t be the only one you’d have to deal with.”

“Relax,” she got up from the couch and walked towards the faux fireplace. He kept an eye on her every move as she pressed her hand on the corner of the screen. It began to flicker and glitch, the same way the dashboard’s screen did in the car when he attempted to call Ashe. A purple skull appeared shortly, like the oblong shape he saw as well, then disappeared. “There.”

She took her seat again while McCree could barely stay in his. “What did you,” Before finishing his sentence, he studied the screen once more. An entire file containing Ashe’s history and records showed up. He looked back to Sombra. “You a cop or what?”

“Ew, no.” She gagged. “I’m just really good at acquiring information.”

He looked back and forth from the screen to her. “Alright, then, why are you showing me all this?”  

“Long story short, I need her help with a job, but she isn’t around.” She crossed a leg over the other and leaned back into her seat. “I thought asking you would be the next best thing. I have to admit that I wasn’t expecting things to turn the way they did.”

He was now slumped into his seat while combing back his hair with his fingers. “How the hell were you able to find me?”

“That part was a little tricky.” Sombra admitted. “But I need to keep _some_ secrets, McCree.”

It was his turn for his eyes to roll. Hearing all her words made his stomach hurt, mentally yelling at himself for assuming she was spending any genuine time with him. Of course she wasn’t. There were red flags from the beginning that he deliberately ignored, just for what? A night of fun. Despite the ache, he was still intrigued with what she was planning and how he was able to insert himself into it. The night wasn’t over.

He released a beaten sigh. “What did you need my help with?”

“I just need someone who’s a good shot.” She put it bluntly while changing the monitor to display a series of images that appeared to be pulled from surveillance cameras. “There’s this warehouse filled with omnics that I need to clear out. There’s a crate in there that my client wants.”

The young man’s eyes opened to look at the screen. “I’m assumin’ you’ll be the one gettin’ us in?”

“That’s right,” she smiled. “I’m not asking to go in there like if it’s a raid. It’ll just be easier for me to have a second set of eyes.”

“What’s the pay?”

“It’ll be more than what you just sold your little farm for.”

As much as he wanted to be surprised of her knowing that bit of info, there was no point to it. “Do you always stalk the people you ask help from?”

“ _Ranchero,_ when you’re doing something illegal you should always make sure you’re not going to be working _con un loco_.”

“I get your point.”

They sat their silently, none of them making a sound. As disappointed as he was in how his night was turning up, he figured this is how his life would be once Deadlock became official. Multiple nights where people come up and ask for help in executing a heist or possibly hitting someone off. No more line-dancing with strangers and getting to know them. Strictly business where it’s possible you could lose a limb or two.

“So,” she spoke up. “Will you help me?”

He watched as she extended her hand out, the one without the strange cybernetics. His eyes locked onto hers as she showed no sign of remorse. Just the same grin she wore for the past few hours. He sighed impatiently, getting up from the couch and removing his eye contact from her. “Let’s go. You can tell me more on the way there.”

She looked down at her hand and back to him. It was unknown to her what was going on through his mind as she casually got up from the couch and helped herself out the front door. The screen flickered back to the moving image of flames, managing to make his skin rise. It was his turn to make his way out the door, but right before he did, he picked up his derby hat from the rack then shut the door behind him.

 

* * *

 

 

Once they were in the car, Sombra took the liberty to set up the GPS to route their location. The drive would last almost over an hour, giving her more than enough time to further explain the specifics of this mini heist she managed to rope him into. McCree was curious about the client, but even she didn’t know much of anything about them. Just some person who had it out for omnics and wanted something they had. He found it strange how she was able to accept a job from someone she didn’t even know yet she needed to make sure _he_ checked out.

There were no more words to exchange, leaving them with their own thoughts. As angry as he was with her, he still couldn’t help but glance his eyes towards her from time-to-time. The dark night made her skin paint glow even more, showing off the skeletal features. His thoughts would wander, thinking about how far they would’ve gone if she hadn’t blurted out his name. The way she said it still lingered, making his neck swell in heat. He was in a mix of relief and frustration all at once, and he couldn’t help but wonder if she knew what she was doing to him or if she was just oblivious.

“Is this hour ride going to be awkward the whole time?” She finally broke the silence that stayed between them. “You weren’t like this earlier.”

He groaned at her observation. “Yeah, so? Things change.”

“I get it,” she confidently crossed her arms. “I said it before, I wasn’t planning for the night to end up like this. So what if I wanted to have some fun before getting down to business? This could be my last night breathing.”

He sighed again, only this time it was one of guilt. “I’m sorry, you’re right. It’s just…been a while since I had some nice company like that.”

She looked at him concerned but was quick to smile, sweetly. “It’s fine. Look, if I come back to this country again, I’ll stop by and we can have some more fun.”

“Really now?” He chuckled. She sounded like a mother giving in to her child’s begging, but he was starting to be able to tell when she was being genuine with him or not. “You don’t gotta, I won’t hold you accountable if ya don’t.”

She laughed, making his cheeks flush once more. “Let’s just see how this mission plays out.”

“We’ll be alright, I’m sure.”

Sombra looked at him as he kept his eyes on the road. Although he sounded sure of himself, his eyes showed that he was still deep in thought. Even when they drove around earlier in the night, he still had that same look. Being the way she was, she wanted to know what else he was hiding in his head. She took advantage of the lull in their conversation.

“So, how come you sold your farm? Got tired of raising cows?”

Her abrupt question caught him off guard, but at this point he was getting used to her knowledge about most of his personal life. “Haven’t had livestock in years. The soil’s there is good too but I wasn’t making much use of it. It was best to just sell it off to a real farmer.”

‘That seems reasonable.” She had doubt in her tone, knowing there was some deeper reasoning aside from the one he just gave.

He sighed. “Bad memories too, I guess.”

“ _That’s_ the answer I was looking for.” She sighed herself. “I can understand that.”

His eyebrow cocked. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. Both of my parents.”

McCree stayed silent, the last memory of his mother still fresh in his mind. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize.” She muttered. “You know, these omnics we’re about to face are from the same group that…you know.”

The truck came to a halt as he stomped on the breaks. His fingers gripped onto the wheel, leaving the woman startled at their abrupt stop. It was just them alone on the empty road, no sights to see or anyone to see them. He turned his head to her, the first move he made after a whole minute of nothing.

“You mean to tell me that they’re _still_ around and nobody’s dealt with them?”

“Overwatch hasn’t gotten around to it. Guess they’re not that high of a threat.”

He shook his head. “If they’re too ‘busy’, then I’ll take care of it myself.”

“ _Cálmese_. I get you want revenge or whatever, but you need to remember what the mission is.”

“Don’t worry, darlin,’ I ain’t gonna jeopardize this. You focus on getting’ what your client needs and I’ll handle the rest.”

The truck began to move again, this time with added speed. His newfound motivation was somewhat alarming to her, though she appreciated it. “Whatever you say.”

 

* * *

 

 

They arrived minutes before than what the GPS had predicted. McCree could feel a rush of adrenaline throughout his body as he spotted the warehouse in the distance. There weren’t any omnics outside to guard the entrance, raising his suspicions. Sombra brought up the live feed of the security cameras in mid air, double checking to make sure none of them were hidden somewhere.

“I don’t see any of them.”

McCree hummed. “Must be inside. Guess they want all eyes on whatever this thing your client is after.”

“Yeah.” She stepped off the truck and began to walk towards their destination, sticking to the shadows as she did so.

Her short-put response made him puzzled, but he was more focused on getting this over with. He reached his arm out to the glove compartment, finding it wasn’t locked. This concerned him, considering he always made sure he locked it whenever he put his revolver in. His concern worsened when he couldn’t find it, beginning to sweat profusely. Did he leave it at home? No, he remembered the whole situation with the bouncer at the nightclub not allowing him to bring weapons in. He looked around the floor for it, assuming he may have just dropped it. His heart began to race with anger once he couldn’t find it, yet he managed to appear calm. The truck suddenly turned off, making him look at the ignition, then behind him when he saw Sombra standing behind him.

“You’re taking too long.”

He shut the car door and groaned. “Got a bit of a problem.” He walked past her while she casually rested her back against door he just shut. “Can’t find ma revolver.”

“Hm? Oh, yeah.” She reached under the opening of her jacket-skirt (he still had no idea what it was) and took out _The Vulture_. “You mean this?”

McCree didn’t understand how he could be so infuriated yet patient with her at the same time. The cocky grin on her face as she pointed his revolver upwards. As he reached for it, she moved her hand away from his. He lost focus for a moment, forgetting where they were and what they were supposed to be doing. She was playing with him again, and at this point, he played along. After repeated failures, he managed to grab her wrist, giving it a light squeeze in hopes she’d drop the weapon on the floor.

“You’re going to have to do better than that, _McCree_.”

He chortled. “Alright then.”

He squeezed her wrist tighter, watching the smug grin on her face grow. Just as she was about to taunt him again, his free hand moved to her waist, her expression slowly changing. He leaned into her face, kissing her once more. Her hand began to loosen, releasing the firearm from her grip. Before it could reach the ground, he quickly stopped and caught it midair.

“Let’s get this done, shall we?”

For once, she was flustered, though she passed it off with a malicious chuckle. “Fine, let’s go.”

They steadily, but quickly, made their way to the warehouse. As they noted before, it was completely unguarded. Sombra pulled up the security cameras once more, only this time getting a look on the inside. There were omnics surrounding a crate, pacing around, though there was a small area that nobody seemed to walk by. They weren’t visibly armed, but if these were the same type of omnic that killed McCree’s mother, he knew they were modified into them. She reassured his assumption, swiping the screen across the air to see the blueprints once more.

“See this door here? This is where there doesn’t seem to be any of those robots around. I didn’t bring an EMP, but it’s just a warehouse so I’ll just shut off the lights with the powerbox. We’ll take them by surprise.”

He was serious now compared to his playful nature moments ago. “Sounds good. I’ll go ahead of you and handle off any omnics. I trust you’ll cover my backside.”

“Don’t worry, I can handle that.”

Aside from her cool tone, her face looked worrisome. He didn’t say anything as she made her way to the paneled door that lead to the vast room filled with bots. She pressed her ear to the door, listening in for any sound. Luckily for them, the power box was right next to the door. Sombra opened the panel and lightly pressed her left hand against it, a screen of settings appearing before her. She fiddled with it, setting for the warehouses power to shut down in the next five minutes. As she did so, McCree looked around the area. Nobody was there, but he had an unsettling feeling that he was being watched.

“Alright, done. We have five minutes before the power goes out. Should give us enough time to go in and get things done.”

“Aren’t ya worried they’ll see your body paint?”

She smiled. “That’s part of the aesthetic.”

“Whatever you say, darlin’.” He pulled up the yellow bandana around his neck to cover the lower half of his face.

“And you judged _my_ choice in stealth ware.”

He rolled his eyes, a smile hiding beneath the yellow fabric. “Just open the door.”

She did as he asked, the door panel opening slowly and quietly. He walked in first as she followed behind him. The door shut, leaving them in the dark wide aisle surrounded by crates of who knows what. He had a feeling Sombra must’ve known what was stored at this warehouse, considering her immense knowledge. It’s possible she had at least an idea of what was going on here. As curious as he was, he decided not to think about it and keep his mind on the mission. He already had a thousand thoughts racing through his mind at that moment. Justice was going to be served, finally getting some closure on what happened all those years ago. The idea of feeling some sort of satisfaction kept his adrenaline pumping. He felt partially guilty for doing this without Ashe or the rest of the gang. However, she was out having a great time with Amélie, something she needed. He didn’t want to ruin her vacation with his acts of impulse.

He turned around to look at the glowing skeleton that shadowed him. She looked around at the crates surrounding her, a disinterested look in her face as she did so. Her SMG stayed in her hand, but she didn’t seem to be as alert as she should’ve. He stopped in his tracks, the daydreaming woman bumping into him slightly as he did so.

 _“¿Que pasó?”_ She asked, scrunching her nose as she did.

He shook his head. “Nothin’, ya just look a little lost.”

“Do I?” She looked around as if she had no idea what he was talking about. “Let’s just keep going.”

He shook his head once more. “I have to make sure you’re awake so I don’t get a bullet in my back.”

“I just,” she sighed. “Maybe we shouldn’t do this. It’s probably more dangerous than I realized.”

McCree lowered his bandana and cupped the side of her face. “It’ll be okay. This is my first time doin’ somethin’ like this, but I know I’m a great shot. Don’t worry.”

“McCree,”

He cut her off, giving her a quick peck on the lips. “Ya gotta trust me. You’re getting’ out of here alive.” He placed his bandana back on and took lead once more.

They finally got closer to the main room where all the omnics resided. Some were walking idly by as a few sat on some what appeared to be empty crates. He gripped onto his revolver, slowly clicking the hammer. His eyes moved to meet Sombra’s, who had a timer appear in the air. About a minute left. Sombra slowly pulled onto his shoulder to bring him lower.

“Once the timer hits ten seconds, start shooting,” she whispered as softly as she could. “There’s ten of them here and you only have six rounds. When the lights go off, I’ll grab for the crate and you make a run for it. I’ll have your back.”

He nodded, glaring down at the clock. The timer was about twenty seconds away from the ten second mark. Their eyes met one last time. She looked somewhat uncomfortable, and he couldn’t blame her. This was a risky job for just two teenagers, but he was confident in his own ability to handle it. Only a few more seconds now. Five…four…three…two…

McCree was quick to act, immediately landing a perfect headshot to the omnic that was closest to him. The other immediately turned their attention towards him, starting up the weapons in their arms, just as he suspected would happen. They began to fire their first shots, instinctively barrel rolling to avoid them. His adrenaline rushed throughout this being, letting it take over him. He landed another shot, this time the bullet traveling through another omnics chest. Seven more omnics, three rounds left, only seconds before the lights would go out. He held in his breath and analyzed the ones that were left standing. With his keen observation, he was able to target three of them that posed as bigger threats, being at how much more distance they were gaining on him. He released his breath, firing the last three shots and hitting each mark. A gratified chuckle escaped his lips until finally the lights went out.

“Sombra, go!” He cried out to her.

McCree circled around the vicinity. There was no sign of her, leaving a mortified look on his face. He desperately looked around for her green glow, unable to sight it. He cursed under his breath, but he was running out of time. A bullet grazed his left arm, making him finally decide to just run his way out of there. As he ran, he placed his weapon back in its holster and gripped onto his arm that carried the wound. He heard footsteps above him and turned around. Assuming it was Sombra, he stopped, and observed his surroundings. Red radiances zoomed above him.

“Fuck.”

He began to run again, only to be stopped by his pursuer. Just as he was about to throw a punch, his fist was caught, the new foe twisting his arm. The cowboy cried out in pain, the figure quickly getting behind him and kicking him down to the ground. He was about to get back up again, but a foot was pressed tightly against his back. His adrenaline was dying down.

Struggling to move, he groaned angrily, both in frustration and pain from his bleeding arm. The idea of having these bots take his life made his skin crawl. His companion was nowhere to be found and his closest thing to family had no idea he was here. He felt humiliated, beads of tears forming in his eyes. This couldn’t be his end. It just couldn’t. His eyes shut tight, fighting back them back, until suddenly, the lights turned on.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” An unfamiliar voice said. “You’re not crying, are you?”

McCree immediately opened his eyes and looked up to find a man dressed in mostly black before him. “Who the hell’s askin’?”

“Hey now,” the man stepped closer, arms crossed. “That’s no way to talk to your boss.”

He laughed. “You ain’t my boss.”

“Well you wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for me. Didn’t do all this dirty work for nothing, right? Unless I’m missing something.”

His eyes widened. “ _You’re_ the client?”

“Guilty as charged.” The man leered. “Not as guilty as you’re going to be when this goes through the court of law.”

He gritted his teeth. “You mean to tell me this was all a big setup?”

“Don’t act so innocent. You and your little ‘gang’ has caused enough trouble. No need to worry though. We’ll work something out.”

As he spoke, he could feel his hands being cuffed. He looked up to find another man, this time someone closer to his age, placing the restraints on him. If he didn’t have an obvious human face, he would’ve suspected him to be an omnic with all of his augmentations. He groaned, the pain from the bullet that grazed him before beginning to kick in.

“That girl really was a cop, then?”

The gentleman laughed. “That girl? She’s a little gang member too. Ever heard of _Los Muertos_? Pretty popular in Mexico.”

“ _Los Muertos…_ ” He contemplated for a moment, finally remembering the name from a newspaper article he read about a few years back. “Where is she?”

The man exhaled. “Rascal got away. Was trying to kill two birds with one stone.”

“I see,” the brash teen laughed. “Guess y’all aren’t as bright as you seem.”

He was met with a glare from the older man. “Amari, do your thing. Kid needs some rest.”

Before McCree could even respond, a sharp, but quick, pain entered his neck. He looked to find a dart planted right where the source of the ache was coming from. His vision began to blur as his eyes struggled to stay open. The weight of his body pushed him to the ground, an extra set of feet approaching, though he couldn’t bear to look up. His eyes closed, nothing to see but darkness.

 

* * *

 

 

An annoying buzz looped through McCree’s ears. His eyes opened slowly, vision slowly correcting as he glazed around the room. He lifted his head from the table and attempted to rub his arm, only to realize they were still cuffed. There was a wave of disappointment that hit him once he comprehended that his night wasn’t a dream. Looking around, he was in what appeared to be an interrogation room. The cold metallic table he was resting on moments ago could’ve told him that much. There were no windows, just a one-way mirror that he was forced to stare at. Truth be told, he looked like a ragged mess. Dark eyebags, thicker stubble, bicep bandaged from the bullet he was grazed with. If Ashe could see him now, she’d throw a fit.

He exhaled a lonesome sigh, last night’s events replaying in his head from the moment he met Sombra at the nightclub. His feelings about her were mixed at this point, unsure whether she helped with the setup or if she was as foolish as he was. Still, the fact of the matter was that she got away, and he was stuck in this room to await further action. Not even a minute later and the man from last night came into the room. He held a cardboard box and set it on the table before him.

“Good morning,” he greeted. “Think you’re going to cooperate today?”

He rolled his eyes, not really in the mood for whatever this stranger had in store. “Depends who’s askin’. You don’t look like a cop to me.”

“It’s going to be like that, then. Fine.” The man rested his hands on the metal table. “Name’s Commander Reyes. I work for this little organization called Overwatch. Might have heard of it.”

McCree gulped. He was expecting to be in deep water with the local authorities, not some global organization that handles terrorism. Reyes took note of the teen’s sudden silence and crossed his arms. “Are you going to start taking this seriously, kid?”

“I just don’t understand why you guys are involved. Don’t y’all handle global threats?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “Let’s just say we handle other types of terrorism. You and your friends have been filling up our ‘complaint box’ for a while now and I got pretty sick of it already.”

“Okay.” The way he felt right now was similar to last night when Sombra dropped all of her info on him. “I’m guessin’ you want my real boss, then?”

“Obviously. As you know, we’re already aware that she’s out of the country.”

“What are you going to do with us?” He cut straight to the point.

“Smoking’s bad for you, you know.” The Overwatch agent seemed to ignore his question as he began pulling out McCree’s belongings from the box, first being his cigars and cigarettes, and setting it down on the table, one-by-one. “Initially I wanted to round all of you up and have you thrown in prison for life so you wouldn’t be my problem anymore.” The last item he removed from the box was the revolver. “Until I saw what a damn good marksman you were.”

His brows furrowed in confusion. “You mean, you were impressed with my shootin’? You’re not mad that I killed a bunch of omnics?”

Reyes laughed. “Those were just training bots our best engineer crafted to look like an omnic. Granted, if they were the real thing, yeah, they’d all be dead.”

“I see,” McCree felt an empty feeling in his chest. Although he just found out they were just hunks of scrap metal, he was so sure he killed sentient creatures who lived actual lives. So sure that he finally got the closure he needed. It was back to the beginning again.

“Don’t sound so disappointed, killing isn’t all that fun.” He assured to him. “Well, maybe _a little_.”

McCree passed him a serious look. “Lighten up, kid.”

“Kind of hard to when I’m stuck in this chair here.”

Reyed smirked. “Don’t worry, you won’t be in there long. Just need to settle a proposition for you.”

“What kind?” He squinted his eyes suspiciously.

The agent planted his palms on the table once again. “It’s simple, really. I’ve seen you in action. Yeah, it was orchestrated, but you didn’t know that. You show a lot of promise, and with proper training, I think you’ll be an essential agent.”

His heart began to beat rapidly at the thought of joining this high-end organization. No, not in an excited way. All these years of fooling around in gang activity, he’d never thought of seeing himself join any kind of law enforcement. It seemed cool as a kid, but he was sure he’d never even consider that pathway seeing how his life was now. There’s no way Ashe would agree to let him do this.

“And if I refuse?” He asked, though he had a feeling what the response would be.

The man shrugged again. “We’ll have no choice but to convict you of your crimes. Don’t worry, the bail would be set so high that not even your rich little friend could help bail you out. Not like she’d be able to, considering she’ll be behind bars.”

He shook his head at the thought. Ashe coming home not knowing where he’s been then being sent to prison. Never seeing one another again. Another situation without any closure. He couldn’t handle this scenario playing in his head. He felt like he had no choice and to join these people. To join Overwatch. Damn, if his mama could see him now.

“Alright, Reyes. I’ll join, but only if ya promise me not to lock up my friend.”

Reyes turned around to face the one-way mirror, then back to cowboy to laugh in his face. “I don’t think you’re in any position to be making those shots. Besides, I already have an agent in Paris tracking her moves. It’s only a matter of time until she’s arrested on her departure date.”

“Please!” His head tilted down. “I know Ashe is the one in charge, but she deserves a second chance more than I do. I’m not sayin’ you gotta recruit her, but at least let her live her life.”

“Look, kid, I get you and all, but your friends misconduct dates back to _primary school_. I can’t afford to take any chances. It’s bad enough your _Los Muertos_ disappeared on me.”

McCree exhaled through his nostrils. “Ya took a mighty high risk sendin’ that girl to to get me to help her. And she’s already in an established gang. Letting Ashe go doesn’t seem to be that bad in comparison.”

“Alright, smartass.” He rolled his eyes. “I’ll have my agent keep close eyes on her. If she so much as makes a bad move, she’ll be taken away on the spot. If she manages to get by, I’ll let you keep your promise to her and pick her up from the hangar when she gets back. You’ll be an agent by then so you’d be able to judge better if she deserved to walk away free. Got it?”

He gave it some thought. Ashe didn’t even bring her rifle with her, and even promised him that she wasn’t going to cause any trouble during her time away. She just wanted a month with her little crush. A month to feel normal and at ease. There was no way she’d do anything reckless, especially with how much of a warning she gave him about being careless. Now look where he was. He smiled, getting what he wanted in the end.

“You’ve got a deal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry again for making you guys read that lmao but I wanted a whole chapter dedicated to the b plot. dont worry, the final chapter will go back to the main plot and possibly be the longest one in the fic. I'm not sure when it'll be done, cause there's a lot I want to cover in it! again, i'm sorry for making you guys wait so long to only come back to a random ship. i'm weak i'm sorry >_< i hope it was at least enjoyable! i've been so stressed out from working this new job (i love it, it's just really stressful @.@) and writing for the fic again really helped me through!
> 
> anyways!! I made a ko-fi account if you guys would like to send me a coffee. it helps a lot as i only have a part time job and could really use any extra income. i'm not holding anything back from y'all, this is just if you want to send a few dollars. maybe i'll make tiers and if you donate a certain amount i could write one shots for you guys based on a character or ship or whatever! ;w;
> 
> ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/appojooze


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